Warmth
by Staacey
Summary: On a cold and wet New Year's Eve Kakashi rescues a two year old Naruto from an angry mob of villagers.
1. Chapter 1

_This idea came from a picture of Kakashi and little Naruto I came across. It was so freaking cute I felt I had to write a story about Kakashi meeting little Naruto. I did not have a real plot except that Kakashi meets little Naruto when it was cold outside. It has turned out darker then my original idea and a lot more elaborate then I had planned._

 _Just to let everyone know I do not own Naruto and I will not make any money off of this story. I also do not own the cover picture and I do not even have talent to draw anything more than very bad stick figures. I think the artist's pin name is minzoku.1 and no I have not contacted them to ask permission because I cannot figure out how. If you know how let me know._ _J_

 _EDIT: I have edited this chapter…twice. The first time I was nearly finished and then my computer froze and turned itself off and the genius that I am never saved anything. So here it goes again! Wish me luck!_

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 1**

Kakashi rubbed his gloved hands together trying to warm them up as he walked along Konoha's outer walls. The young ANBU captain was dressed in full gear patrolling the outskirts of the village. It was unusual for Kakashi to be in the village, he had spent almost all of his time away from Konoha since _it_ happened nearly three years ago. It was New Year's Eve and the Hokage had called all teams home for extra security around the hidden village.

Kakashi looked up at the gray sky and shivered as he felt the ice-cold mist slide onto his face through the eyeholes of his mask. Not many people would be out celebrating outdoors tonight Kakashi noted to himself. The temperature had dropped throughout the day and it would not be surprising if the freezing mist turned into snow.

When he saw his replacement approach from the corner of his eye Kakashi nearly sighed with relief. It had been a cold, wet and boring twelve hour shift for the Copy Ninja and he would be happy to peel off his soggy uniform and take a hot shower. He quickly made his report to his replacement, only rain and cold weather.

The white haired shinobi did not waist anytime and sprinting towards the heart of the village as soon as his replacement started his rounds. He was not surprised that the streets were virtually empty as the rain began to pour heavier and the only people he saw were fellow masked ANBU who had been pulled off regular duty to patrol the village.

As the rain became heavier he was surprised to hear angry voices coming from an ally way and decided to see what was going on. Kakashi jumped to the roof of a building that overlooked the area the noise was coming from and he was surprised to find a crowd of nearly thirty people gathered in a circle angrily shouting at something in the center.

"Demon!" Shouted a middle aged woman.

"Monster!" Spat a portly red faced man.

"Murderer!" Rang out another voice in the crowd.

"Why is it even allowed to live?" Someone else cried out in the mob. "Someone should just kill it!"

The crowed buzzed with murderous agreement.

He was alarmed when he heard what was being said and warning bells went off in his head. Something was not right here. _What could cause Konoha's normally peaceful citizens to become so angry?_

Making sure to stay out of sight Kakashi leaned over the ledge trying to see what was going on in the middle of the crowd. He was puzzled when spotted a small scrap of gray trash. Puzzled he looked around trying to spot something that would cause a mob to gather like this but he could find nothing.

Then to his surprise he saw the gray trash move and it dawned on him that it was not trash but something _alive_. When a fat red faced civilian kicked the creature sending it tumbling into a nearby puddle Kakashi hissed in anger as he saw that it was a small blonde child that the mob had been attacking.

Kakashi jumped to the ground and stalked towards the crowd barely controlling the killing intent rolling off of him as he approached. The civilians quickly parted allowing him though the crowd. The Jonin glared at the fat man who had kicked the child, taking satisfaction when he noted a dark stain appear on the man's pants.

He scooped up the small child in his arms and held him protectively against his chest shielding him away from the crowd with his body. When Kakashi looked at the crowd of people surrounding him nearly took a step back when he saw the looks of pure hatred on the villagers' faces. _What was wrong with these people?_

The shinobi spun around in surprise when he felt something wet and cold hit his back and was shocked to see that a village woman had thrown mud at him.

"Don't defend that monster," She spat out. "He deserves to die!"

Cries of agreement rang throughout the mob.

Not understanding what was going Kakashi looked down at the small child in his arms trying to figure out what sin an innocent child could commit to earn such hate. When he stared down at the child recognition blossomed in his mind, he had only ever known one person with such clear blue eyes, though they had never reflected the pain and fear that the child's now held. Minato-Sensei his now deceased teacher and father figure who's blue eyes had always held warmth and kindness when he had looked at Kakashi had the same eyes.

Kakashi knew who and what he held shivering in his arms. His grip on the child tightened around the child.

Several members of the crowd collapsed to their knees as Kakashi lost control of his killing intent and it crashed over them in murderous waves.

 _How could anyone harm a child?_ Kakashi fumed in his mind. _Particularly this child who very existence saved them from the wraith of the Kyuubi by being a human sacrifice to contain it. This poor child who lost everything the day he was born so that they could be safe._

"If anyone of you lays a single finger on this child I will kill every last one of you and your families" Kakashi growled too angry to think of any consequences to his words.

Holding the small boy he jumped to the roof of a nearby building and began to make his way towards the ANBU headquarters.

Now that he had rescued his Sensei's son he had no idea what to do with him. In the back of his mind he wondered if this would be considered kidnapping the village Jinchuriki but quickly dismissed it, if there was trouble the Hokage would step in on his behalf.

"Senpai, who is that?" asked a familiar voice.

It was only a lifetime of practice that kept Kakashi from flinching when he heard Tenzo's voice from a few feet away.

"It is a kid," Kakashi replied trying to sound indifferent.

Tenzo rolled his eyes at his captain's remark knowing he would get nothing else out of the tight lipped man until he was ready. Over the years he had learned that when Kakashi was confused and working out an issue he would not give a straight answer until he made a decision.

Trying to organize what had to be done Kakashi decided that the first thing he had to do was inform the Hokage about what had taken place that night. It was vital that action be taken as soon as possible, the longer it took to start gathering information about how the small had wound up in the rain being attacked by the mob the more likely the trail would become cold.

"Tenzo, could you inform the Hokage that I have the Jinchuriki?" Kakashi asked. Tenzo was one of the few people that he trusted fully without reservations. He quickly informed his friend of what had happened.

Tenzo's eyes went round at what he had been told. Children in Konoha were cherished and child abuse was unheard of. No one would willingly harm a child in the village and this boy had been abused in public and no one helped him until Kakashi showed up

Understanding what had to be done Tenzo nodded his head in consent and took off towards the Hokage's residence to inform the Hokage on the where about of the Jinchuriki.

As Kakashi entered the ANBU headquarters he walked towards the barracks area. The only people who lived there were Kakashi and Tenzo the rest of the ANBU lived in private homes instead of the military style barracks. Kakashi did not see the point on his own place. He spent all of his time away from the village so he did not need anything more than a place to sleep on occasion. Though he technically still owned his childhood home but he had not stepped foot inside in more years then he could remember.

He quickly walked to his room when he was safely inside he gently placed the little boy down on the floor. Kakashi quickly took note of the blonde's appearance, his clothing were not much more then gray rags and he was covered from head to toe in filth. There were several scratches on the boy's face and deep purple bruise covered his lower jaw. The child was also shivering and had a slight blue tint to his lips from the cold

Staring at the small boy Kakashi swore to himself that he would find all those who participated and make them pay. But first he needed to take care of the small child. A child he did not even know what his name was even if he could see his mentor in his bright blue eyes.

Trying to recall how to deal with children Kakashi recalled how easily children could be scared by simple thing and removed his mask placing it onto a nearby shelf, it would be easier to reassure the child if he could at least see his face. He then knelt down to eye level so he could be face to face with the boy..

"What is your name?" He asked the small boy.

The little boys eyes when round in surprise at being spoken too.

"Uthomaki Naruto" the little boy lisped out nervously.

"Uzamaki Naruto," Kakashi repeated. He briefly wondered why the boy carried his mother's name instead of Namikaze.

"My name is Kakashi," he told Naruto.

"Kaw kaw see," Naruto repeated.

"Ka-Ka-Shi," the ninja replied enunciating each syllable.

"Kakashi," the little blonde said careful pronunciate the name.

The ninja smiled at Naruto his eyes crinkling.

"Very good Naruto," Kakashi praised the child.

Naruto eyes went wide at the praise forgetting any apprehension at being around a new adult. It was rare for anyone to show kindness to the toddler and it was even rarer for him to receive praise. Naruto gave Kakashi a wide smile. The little boy was already forgetting the horror of the mob that had attacked him earlier.

Kakashi noted that the small boy was still shivering and he was reminded how his own wet clothing stuck to his skin chilling him to the bone and knew that Naruto was equally if not more cold then he was.

"Well, how about we take a bath to warm up?" The Copy Ninja asked the small boy who was still shivering from the cold.

Naruto nodded his small head happily. This man was very nice to him just like Jiji-san was. Naruto quietly walked up to the white haired ninja and put his little hand into the larger one.

Kakashi who had been grabbing supplies was startled at first when he felt Naruto grab his hand but couldn't help but think how cute the little boy was. Naruto was standing their giving him a small hesitant smile while he held onto him. He could tell the small child trusted him completely. For a ninja lies and secrets came just as easy as breathing trust was something to be earned with blood, sweat and tears. Kakashi could not help but feel honored to be given the innocent trust of this little waif so easily. It was also terrifying, children, especially ninja children, should not trust strangers who just picked them up. He felt that if he was to ever break that trust it could destroy this innocent child.

Grabbing the small Jinchuriki's hand and led him towards the ANBU bathing area. The bathing area was defiantly the highlight of living in the ANBU barracks it had individual shower stalls with massaging jets but the crown jewel was the bath tub that was the size of a small swimming pool.

Kakashi quickly stripped his clothes and neatly folded them before placing them in his usual locker. He frowned when he helped removed the young boys clothes to start with they were wet and covered in mud but what the Copy Ninja could not quite grasp was that they were old and not much more then rags. Didn't whoever took care of the child receive money in order to provide the child with necessities like clothing? Kakashi felt that when he saw the Hokage next he would have many hard questions for the man to answer.

The ninja started the shower remembering not to turn it on too hot for the toddler. The little boy bathed himself, even if it was a bit clumsy and he had to be told to wash behind his ears. When the toddler was done Kakashi wrapped him in a towel before removing the mask that covered his lower face and jumping into the shower bathing quickly as not to leave Naruto on his own for very long.

He picked up the small boy and carried him to the bath tub. Once they settled into the bath Kakashi closed his eyes and sank neck deep into the pool. It had been a long day and it was far from over with.

After a few minutes of soaking Kakashi felt a small finger poke him on his cheek and he heard a little giggle from the direction he had put Naruto. A few seconds later another poke and more giggles, Kakashi lazily opened his eye careful to keep his Sharingan closed and peered at the giggling toddler. Naruto again gently touched his cheek letting out a happy giggle and blushing.

"Is there something funny on my face?" Asked the shinobi with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto shook his head gazing and the man's face before letting out another cheerful giggle.

"Pwetty," Naruto lisped. "Kakashi pretty!"

The Copy Ninja one of the most dangerous shinobi alive and every hidden village except his own had him in their Bingo books with kill on sight orders, blushed like young maiden on her wedding night. He ducked his head in the water hiding his lower face from the small boy. Not many people knew it but he was horribly shy without his mask covering the lower half of his face.

Naruto found this funny and mimicked the ninja's actions ducking his face partially under the water. He started to giggle sending out little bubbles from his mouth. This seemed to amuse the small boy and soon he was splashing around amusing himself. Kakashi was relieved that the child was no longer focused on his face. He had always been self-conscious about his face since he was a small child. He recalled his father once telling him it was because of one of the older women who lived near him, she would always grab his cheeks and squeal about how cute he was when he was a small child. It had been his father who had suggested he wear a mask to hide his blushing face.

Soon the little boy seemed to slow down and his eyes became heavy and his little head began to nod. Realizing that Naruto must be tired Kakashi scooped the toddler up and quickly dried him off. Not wanting the child to be put back into his wet and dirty clothing Kakashi put one of his own black t-shirts on the boy. Kakashi smiled at the little boy, the shirt hung down to his ankles and his yellow hair stood out like the sun next to the black shirt.

Kakashi gently carried the small boy towards his room. By the time he had finished the short trip the toddler was fast asleep in his arms. Deciding to let him sleep for the time being he laid Naruto on his bed and covered him up. The small Jinchuriki briefly opened his eyes and touched Kakashi's face giving out a soft giggle before falling back asleep.

Kakashi sat in a nearby his bed and watched the child sleep. He mentally made a to-do list in his head. First he needed to talk to the Hokage and find out any information he had on the child. He needed to know who took care Naruto and why he had been out that day in the rain on his own. If they had that person was not taking proper care of the small Jinchuriki then Kakashi knew several places that he could hide the body without anyone ever finding it again.

Deep in thought Kakashi almost did not notice Tenzo's arrival. The Wood Ninja had quietly walked into his room raising an eyebrow at the small boy quietly sleeping on his bed. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and signaled with his hands to step outside the room to talk.

"What did the Hokage have to say?" Kakashi asked his friend not bothering with formalities.

"He is having a formal inquiry into the orphanage that the boy lives at. There will an investigation into the villagers who had harassed him and they shall be punished. He also request that you keep him with you until he can decide on the boy's future living arrangements." The Wood Ninja explained to his captain and friend.

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. He would be caring for the small boy asleep in his bed for a while. It was no big deal all he had to do was…

Kakashi's eyes went round and he looked at his fellow ninja.

"How do you take care of a child?" He asked.

For the first time in his life Kakashi had no idea what to do. How could he take care of a child? The only thing he knew was fighting and death.

Kakashi gazed towards his room with the small child deeply asleep on his bed. Naruto already seemed to trust him what would Kakashi do if he accidentally hurt the child in his own ignorance?

 ** _This was supposed to be a very short story and then it grew and had babies! I hope everyone enjoyed it. I am not sure how long it will be yet I have at least three chapters planned but I have a feeling that the babies may have babies. This story must be related to a rabbit!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok here is the second Chapter. I have gone ahead and fixed my spelling mistakes in the last chapter. I will be honest I depend on Spell Check in my writing and I usually assume Spell Check is smarter than I am so do what it says. Spell Check does not like non-English languages so I have to argue with it. Sadly I often lose._

 _Again I do not own Naruto. I do own half of my car though…my husband owns the other half._

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 2**

Kakashi stood alone staring at the items sitting on the shelf wondering how he had gotten into this. As they say no good deed goes unpunished and by the sounds of the giggling coming from behind him he knew he was being tormented. The white haired shinobi could take out entire ninja armies single handedly and had been on countless S-ranked missions but he had never faced a task so daunting.

Standing in the isle of a child's clothing store trying to pick out proper clothing for the yellow haired waif currently sleeping in his bed being watched over by his friend and subordinate Tenzo. Kakashi hoped that his shopping trip would not take long and that he could quickly return home, Tenzo had less child care experience than he did and he did not want the child traumatized.

The Copy Ninja could hear the giggling coming from behind him and he turned around to see several women watching him. He could feel his face heat up, dressed in his ANBU gear except for his mask he knew he did not fit into the child's clothing store. This entire experience was becoming more and more embarrassing by the moment. It did not help that he had no idea on where to begin on purchasing proper clothing for the toddler that was now in his care.

"Excuse me," said a small dark haired woman. "Are you Minato's student?"

Kakashi turned around to see a small woman with dark hair, she had a small child balanced on her hip while an older boy stood beside her. The Copy ninja noted that both children bore the Uchiha clan emblem, a red and white fan, on their clothing.

"I do not know if you remember me," the woman continued not waiting for his reply. "But I was friend of Kushina's."

She looked vaguely familiar to the young ninja. He recalled seeing her in his mentor's home with Kushina a few times. He vaguely recalled Minato had hurriedly pushed him and Obito out the front door saying that it was no longer safe for men to be around. When he had tried to find out why Minato would become pale and that he was too young and innocent to know about the horrors of female bonding.

"Uchiha Mikoto," She introduced herself. She then pointed to the preteen by her side and the toddler in her arms. "These are my sons Itachi and Sasuke."

"Hatake Kakashi," the Jonin hastily replied trying to remember his manners.

"Are you shopping for a new baby?" Mikoto asked with knowing smirk on her lips. "You are a bit young for a first child but there has been quite a trend for young people to start early now days."

Kakashi blushed a deep scarlet at the woman's words. It was bad enough that he was in a store with so many giggling women but to be accused of knocking some girl up was too much.

Still blushing Kakashi cleared his throat and tried to explain himself.

"I am currently caring for a child and he needs stuff," Kakashi said. Though he still did not know what all the stuff a child need entailed.

Mikoto's eyes grew in excitement. She leaned close to Kakashi and whispered into his ear.

"Could the child be the son of Kushina and her husband?"

Kakashi whipped his head around glancing at the gossiping women in the store, hoping no one around them heard. The small woman's comment was very close to breaking the Hokage's law of silence about the small Jinchuriki.

The woman's smile became even wider at his reaction.

"I will take that as a yes." Mikoto proclaimed. "So, what are you looking to buy?"

"I am not sure. He doesn't have anything, not even clothes." Kakashi replied. "I don't even know what he needs."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow silently urging him to elaborate.

"He is currently without a guardian and I do not know when a new one will be appointed." Kakashi said. Beyond rescuing Naruto he had no idea what would happen next. As far as he knew the Hokage could already have made new arrangements for him.

The Uchiha matriarch narrowed her eyes in suspicion before nodding her head in understanding of what needed to be done. She took little Sasuke and handed him to his brother instructing him to go look in the toy area for a bit while she and Kakashi shopped.

"If you do not mind I will help you find everything that he needs." Mikoto informed the white haired ninja.

Kakashi gratefully accepted and he began to follow the small woman through the store. She picked up various clothing items, special shampoo, shoes toys and more things than Kakashi could imagine one small miniature person could need.

As the small shopping spree was coming to an end Mikoto steered Kakashi back into the clothing area and headed towards where the jackets were located.

"You cannot forget a warm coat," She informed him steering him towards a small rack. "Actually I came today to buy Sasuke a new coat because he is outgrowing his current one."

Kakashi nodded towards the woman before looking for a small coat for Naruto. It did not take him long to find a nice brown coat that he thought would fit the toddler and keep him warm. He glanced towards Mikoto and saw that she was still busy looking around.

The Jonin noticed an area that had little hats and gloves and went over to take a look. After browsing for a few minutes he saw something orange on the ground and picked it up. It was a small little fox hat with matching gloves. Kakashi smiled to himself thinking how appropriate it would be for the little Jinchuriki to wear it so he placed in in the basket with his other items.

Finally with all of the shopping finished he paid for his items and exited the shop with his arms loaded down with his purchases. As he walked outside saw the trio of Uchiha waiting for him.

He walked towards the Uchiha matriarch giving her a deep bow.

"Thank you for your help," He said. "I have no idea what I would have done without your guidance."

Mikoto smiled at the young man's politeness.

"Well if you want to thank me why don't you bring Kushina's son for a play date?" She replied with a warm smile.

Kakashi nodded his consent although he could not help wonder how long Naruto would remain in his care after the day was over with. When he thought about Naruto leaving it left a bitter taste in the Copy Ninja's mouth.

After confirming that Kakashi would take little Naruto to the Uchiha compound as soon as possible they went their separate ways. As the Copy Ninja neared the ANBU compound he had a feeling of foreboding that something had gone wrong and quickened his step.

The first thing Naruto noticed was that it was very warm and soft were he laid and his entire body was stretched out in the cozy fluffiness. He cracked his eyes and all he saw was the light blue blanket that covered him. He giggled to himself as he rubbed his face into the soft blanket. He slowly peeked out from under the blanket and gazed about the room his eyes finally landing on the large figure sitting in the corner. The small boy gasped in delight.

It was a teddy bear!

The toddler rolled out of the bed and ran towards the big bear sitting in the corner. The black shirt he wore became caught between his legs and he stumbled losing his balance. He was about to fall head first into a table but he felt a strong hand grab him around his stomach stopping his fall. The small boy turned his head to see what had stopped his fall and saw the face of the big teddy bear.

Giggling the small boy turned around and grabbed the bear in a fierce hug snuggling as close as he could get to his savior. The teddy bear was warm and soft except for the funny pieces of metal strapped onto his various parts of his body.

Naruto looked up the big teddy bears face and gave him a large adoring smile.

"I wuv you teddy!" gushed the blonde toddler. "You saved me!"

When Tenzo saw the small boy fall out of bed and run towards him he had been alarmed at first and his body had moved on its own when he saw the child begin to fall. He was even more shocked when Naruto began to hug and cuddle with him. He nearly fell over when the toddler declared his love for him.

The _mission_ should have been simple, watch over the sleeping Jinchuriki until his Captain returned. _It_ was not supposed to wake up and it was not supposed to wrap it arms around him and stare at him with those oh so adorable blue eyes. He shook his head and reminded himself that _it_ was not adorable or cute at all. _It_ was a living weapon.

The Jinchuriki stared at him smiling for a few minutes until the Wood Ninja heard a small growl come from the small boy. Startled he jumped back wondering if the small thing growled when angry, he had heard _it_ was more animal then human. What could he have done to upset it?

A few seconds later, another growl came from the Jinchuriki and Tenzo noted the sound came from the small creature's stomach. The small creature looked at him with his wide blue eyes and rubbed his tummy.

"Eat?" The toddler asked. His eyes still wide but now they had a hopeful look in them.

Tenzo nodded his head towards the small creature. Everything needed to eat including small Jinchuriki.

He took the child and set it back on the bed. He could not leave the child alone but he also could not take him out of the room with him. So he needed to find something for the child to eat. Recalling that his Senpai kept a stash of chocolate in his room. Often times he would see Kakashi enjoying chocolate while laying around reading one of his Icha Icha books.

The Wood Ninja began rummaging though his Captains shelves and drawers looking for something edible to feed the toddler that was not an expired field ration bar. As he shearched he came across one of the "Romance" novels his captain was so fond of and felt his face heat up as he carefully maneuvered away from it. Finally finding a large stash of chocolate stashed behind several ninja scrolls.

He handed the small boy a single bar of chocolate and watched as the toddler took his first bite.

Naruto's eyes went big in surprise and his face lit up in happiness.

"Yummy," Naruto cried out in delight. "Teddy willy yummy! Teddy eat!"

Naruto took the bar of candy and shoved it into Tenzo's face trying to share the chocolaty goodness with his Teddy.

Tenzo felt himself crack a small smile at the small boy's generosity. He shook his head no and signaled the small boy to eat his food by himself. The Wood Ninja began to see the reason his friend had taken the small child in, the Jinchuriki was cute he grudgingly admitted to himself.

When the small child finished the first candy bar Tenzo gave him a second one. Tenzo could not help secretly enjoying the look of pure bliss from the small boy as he gobbled up the surgery goodness. Soon Kakashi's entire stash of chocolate was consumed by the small toddler. Tenzo had never been around children of any age and he could not recall being a child himself before Orachimaru's experiments so he did not know about the laws of sugar and small children. Sugar is fuel for children to bounce off the walls and it generally turned well-mannered children into hyperactive monsters.

Soon little Naruto was climbing all over the place and jumping around while singing a silly song.

"Thon Thaykub Themhiemer Sthmith that's my name too!" The little boy sang at the top of his lungs.

As Tenzo watched in horror the little boy go from shy and sweet to sugar induced insanity and shivered when he realized Kakashi may blame him for the damages the small boy was doing to his room.

Just as the small boy started to spin around in circles the Wood Ninja saw the door crack open and Tenzo was relieved to see Kakashi's masked face.

When Kakashi had entered the ANBU building he vaguely heard something that sounded like an off tune song he remembered from being a child. The closer he got to his room the louder it became, he could also hear what sounded like crashes and bangs coming from his room. He quickly hurried up his footsteps.

When he opened his door he saw what appeared to be a yellow and black tornado spinning around in the center of his floor. His room was a mess. Furniture and clothing had been knocked onto the floor and Tenzo sat in a corner his mouth opened in horror as he watched the small tornado destroy the room.

Kakashi cleared his throat loudly. Naruto stopped mid spin and dizzily looked over at the Copy Ninja in the door way. The small boy squealed in delight and wobbled towards white haired ninja and buried his chocolate covered face into Kakashi's shirt when he reached him.

"Kakashi, Teddy gave me yummy and played with me!" Naruto informed the Jonin.

"Teddy?" Kakashi asked the small boy giving his friend a smirk under his mask.

"I wuv Teddy," Naruto informed the Copy Ninja before wobbling over to Tenzo to give him a hug.

Now after consuming his on body weight in chocolate and spinning around like a mad top the second law of children and sugar came into effect.

The small boy started to turn green has he hugged his precious Teddy and his tummy began to hurt something awful. Before Kakashi or Tenzo knew what was happening little Naruto was throwing up all the chocolate he consumed right into Tenzo's lap. Naruto felt instantly better after he was finished.

After a few seconds the little boy stopped and looked at his poor Teddy covered in chocolate.

"Sowwy," said the small child his lips trembling.

Watching the entire thing Kakashi could not help but feel his friend deserved it for letting the small child destroy his room. He did not get to relish his small vendetta for long because the blonde toddler began to cry.

"Teddy all messy" Naruto cried. "I made Teddy messy. Teddy won't wuv me now."

Kakashi quickly grabbed the distraught boy hugging him and patting his back trying to sooth him. The Jonin gave his friend a glare signaling he needed to say something.

Tenzo reached over and awkwardly patted the crying toddler on the head.

"It is ok, I am not angry with you. It was an accident." The wood ninja said hoping that his words would calm the young boy down.

Naruto's crying stopped as he turned towards the Wood Ninja. His blue eyes still watery and his little lips trembled a bit before they transformed into a wide smile of pure happiness.

"Teddy wuv me!" The small boy cried before launching himself onto Tenzo.

Kakashi watched the pair make-up and sighed to himself. Naruto already needed another bath now that he was covered in his own vomit.

The day had started out cold and miserable and he had somehow been given this small child to care. He had no idea what would happen tomorrow but for now he was content to relax to the sound of Naruto's laughter as he hugged his 'Teddy'.

 _ **Thanks again for reading I hope you enjoyed it. So we have now added the Uchihas to the story. Poor poor Tenzo/Yamato he really does always wind up with the short end of the stick.**_

 _ **Well tell me what you think! I hope I did not make any more spelling errors!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you everyone who has reviewed._

 _I will repeat that I do not own Naruto and I will not make money off of him._

 _Edit: This chapter has been edited and I hope that I have improved it some._

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 3**

At first Kakashi had debated on having Tenzo take the child and give him another bath, but considering it was the Wood Ninja's negligence that caused the small boy to be covered in his own vomit, it was better if he did it himself. There was no telling what the pair would do if left alone again.

He made quick work of getting Naruto cleaned up. He tossed his shirt in a nearby garbage can, it was not worth trying to salvage.

He took the toddler back to his room wrapped only in a towel. Once inside he began to rummage through various bags retrieving garments for the small boy. At first he tried to hand the child the clothes but quickly realized that Naruto was not very proficient in dressing himself. After tugging the clothes off of the toddler Kakashi helped him put his clothes on.

Once finished Kakashi looked at the small boy, he was wearing a fuzzy orange shirt with a fox in the middle of it with matching fuzzy orange pants. _Cute_ the Copy Ninja thought to himself though he would never admit out loud how adorable he found the small boy.

Kakashi looked at the small child noticing the bruise that still marred his face and he recalled the state he had found him in that day covered in mud and wearing rags. _Who could treat a child like that?_ He fumed to himself promising that when he found out who had hurt Naruto would pay in the most painful way possible.

Shaking his head to clear his dark thoughts the man refocused on the child in front of him.

"Naruto how do you feel?" The Jonin asked the small boy. "Does your stomach still hurt?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side in thought and rubbed his belly thinking hard about the man's question.

"Nope," the little boy exclaimed after his self-inspection. "My tummy is all better!"

Kakashi smiled his eye crinkling.

"Well that is good," the ninja replied.

Now that the disaster was over Kakashi inspected his room. It looked like someone had robbed him. Books were strewn all over the place, a lamp was laying on its side, his laundry had been knocked over and was scattered across the floor and most alarming was the trash of very expensive chocolate that he kept for the times he just needed to relax was all gone. The chocolate he had especially imported from the Land of Earth. It took six weeks just to get it.

Holding up a wrapper he looked over at the little boy to see his reaction.

Naruto's eyes lit up on seeing the wrapper of the yummy treat.

"It was yummy," Naruto declared." Teddy gave it to me. I wuz Teddy!"

As the small boy declared his love for his 'Teddy" Tenzo walked through the door a grumpy look on his face. After cleaning up the Wood Ninja came to check on his friend leaving his ANBU gear and mask in behind.

On seeing Tenzo enter the door Naruto hid behind Kakashi when he saw the unknown person. The small Jinchuriki watched the Wood Ninja wearily. For some reason Tenzo's shadowed brown eyes scared Naruto.

Surprised at the small boy's sudden shyness Kakashi looked back and forth between the toddler and his friend not understanding what had spooked the toddler.

Naruto buried his face into the back of Kakashi legs peeking out from behind his knees every so often before hiding face again. The small boy had gone from near fanatical adoration to hiding from Tenzo.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" Kakashi asked the small toddler.

Naruto tugged on Kakashi's sleeves and the ninja crouch down until the small child could reach his ear.

"Scawwy monster," The small boy lisped as way of explanation.

"I thought you liked Teddy?" The Jonin asked trying hard not to laugh at the name the boy had dubbed his teammate.

"Teddy? Where Teddy? I wuv Teddy!" The small boy exclaimed briefly forgetting his fear of the Wood Ninja who still stood in the doorway.

"There is Teddy," Kakashi replied pointing towards the Tenzo.

Naruto looked towards the monster standing in the door and began cry.

"Monster eat Teddy!" The small boy cried.

Alarmed Kakashi tried to comfort the boy and sooth him.

"That is Teddy a monster didn't eat him!" Kakashi tried to explain. "He just doesn't have his mask on."

"Mask?" The boy asked giving a small hiccup.

Kakashi looked over at his fellow ANBU member studying his face, with his dark eyes and emotionless face made for intimidation he could understand how a small child could find his friend scary.

"Why don't you go grab your mask?" The Jonin suggested. Maybe seeing the mask would calm the small boy down.

Tenzo could not help but feel a bit irritated at the situation. It was a bit humiliating having to cater to the small child just because he found his face scary.

The Wood Ninja quickly returned wearing his bear mask over his face. When little Naruto saw him his face lit up like the sun shining after a storm. The small boy launched himself onto Tenzo burying his snot covered face into the man's midsection.

"Teddy I missed you!" The small boy said as he hugged the Wood Ninja. It was very obvious the small child had a very short attention span.

As the small boy gazed up at his Teddy adoringly Kakashi leaned over and removed the mask covering his friends face.

Naruto gasped in shock and horror.

"See it is only a mask." Said Kakashi grabbing his own mask and handing it to the small boy.

Naruto looked from the mask to the man standing next to him. His Teddy was scary without the mask but he really loved Teddy, maybe without the mask Teddy was a nice monster that gave him yummy things to eat.

Naruto gazed at the Wood Ninja for a few moments before breaking into an ear splitting grin.

"I wuv Teddy," The small boy exclaimed hugging his Teddy.

Tenzo could not decide if he should be irritated at the child or not. He could not deny that the child was cute and gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

During the small reunion of the boy and his Teddy Kakashi watched the pair in amusement. He would never allow his junior to live this down. He was already filling it away Naruto's actions for future blackmail on his friend.

Kakashi glanced towards the clock and noticed it was already becoming late and neither he nor the small child had eaten a proper meal yet. His stomach growled its own sentiment at the thought of food.

"Naruto do you want to go eat dinner?" Kakashi asked the small child.

"Eat!" The small child said nodding his little blonde head enthusiastically.

Kakashi looked at his fellow ANBU with the small child still firmly attached to him.

"Want some Ramen? My treat." Kakashi queried.

Not one to turn to down free food Tenzo nodded his head in consent.

"I will meet you by the entrance after I grab my jacket." The Wood Ninja informed his captain.

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement before trying to pry Naruto off of the other man. After Tenzo walked out of the room Kakashi changed himself and Naruto into warmer clothes. He pushed the small fox hat onto the small boys head and helped to slide the matching small gloves onto the tiny hands.

When he figured Naruto was adequately clothed he carried the small boy to the ANBU building entrance where Tenzo was already waiting. To his relief the rain had subsided and he did not have to worry about becoming wet. Kakashi jumped from roof top to holding the small boy close to his chest as he headed towards his favorite Ramen shop Ichiraku.

When he was a few blocks from the shop he jumped to the ground to walk the rest of the way. He placed Naruto on the ground and gently held his hand as he walked.

Naruto was very happy to be holding hands with the white haired shinobi but felt something missing. The small waif turned around and he spotted his the Wood Ninja walking a few feet away. He smiled at the man and reached his hand out towards him.

"Hold Teddy," The small Jinchuriki demanded his hand reaching out towards the man.

Tenzo found himself blushing as he grabbed the small hand. He could not recall ever holding hands with anyone like this and it felt a bit surreal to him. He rarely went out and if he did it was normally for work or because of one of his coworkers demanded some form team bonding with him.

The small boy was extremely happy now that he was holding both of the men's hands. It was even better then when Jiji would visit him and would give him a big hug before he left. He felt very safe and cared for. He was on top of the world.

It only took a short time for the trio to reach Ramen Ichiraku. When they walked into the shop the only people there was the owner Teuchi, his young daughter Ayame and an older woman. The woman briefly glanced up at the threesome when they walked in giving them a knowing grin that made Kakashi feel a slight bit uncomfortable before she went back to eating her meal.

Kakashi sat down placing Naruto on his lap when he realized the small boy was too short to see over the counter. Tenzo took a seat next to the pair.

"What can I get for you," Teuchi asked them with a huge grin.

"Two Miso Ramen," Kakashi said ordering for himself and Naruto.

"Same thing for me," Tenzo said.

While Teuchi began to prepare the food his daughter leaned over the counter staring at Naruto.

"Hello," she said to Naruto in a sing song voice. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing!"

Feeling bashful Naruto hid his face in Kakashi arms peeking out and giving the girl a shy smile.

The young girl covered her face the cried out "Peekaboo I see you!"

Naruto giggled at Ayame's antics and soon they were playing a fierce game of peekaboo.

After a while Teuchi tapped his daughter on her shoulder interrupting her game. He indicated the three bowls of Ramen waiting to be served. Ayame gave a slight pout at having to stop her play time with th blonde toddler and moved out of the way.

"We will play again later ok?" She informed the happy blonde toddler.

"Here you go," Teuchi said placing bowls in front of each person.

"This one is just for the tyke," He said pointing to the smaller blue bowl. "I made sure to make it cooler so he won't burn his mouth."

"Thank you," Kakashi replied. He was very grateful for the man's insightfulness, it would have never occurred to him that the food could burn the small boy.

The shop owner had also wisely placed a pair of child trainer chopsticks next to the small boys bowl before leaving the trio to eat in peace.

"Itadakimasu," Kakashi said clapping his hands together.

"Ithathakimus," The toddler lisped trying to mimic the ninja clapping his hands together.

The Copy ninja smiled as he saw the small boy eat his food with gusto. If he recalled correctly Kushina's favorite food had been Ramen and she had consumed it by the gallon when she had been pregnant with Naruto.

Kakashi ate his meal but as time went on he felt like he was being watched. He looked around the small shop, Tenzo and Naruto were both busily eating their food and the shop owner and his daughter were both in the kitchen working. He turned his head to the side and his eye met the stare of the woman he had noticed when he first came in.

The woman took his a glance as an indication to come closer to the trio.

"It is so wonderful to see a couple out with their child," The woman began. "It is really rare to see. Let me tell you I fully support your lifestyle. So few are brave enough to be in the open about it! And look at you two with such a sweet little boy together. Did you adopt or use a surrogate? It is so wonderful that you can have children now days even without a partner of the opposite sex. Just so very wonderful!"

Kakashi stared at the woman. What was this idiot nattering on about? Was she talking about them being ANBU. What would he need a surrogate for he was more than able to do his job.

"Well I will be on my way," she said not allowing the confused Kakashi to answer her questions. "You have fun on you date! Don't let anyone's negativity keep you from being with the man you love and your child!"

With her last parting remark she put money on the counter and walked out of the shop.

Kakashi was trying to process the woman's words. She had babbled on and could not understand what she was trying to tell him.

Kakashi continued to eat his Ramen. He played the woman's words over in his head over and over trying to decipher them. There had to be some hint of what she meant by her words.

Just as he was about to take another bite he finally understood what she had been not so subtly implying to him. His chopsticks slipped from his hand falling to the ground clattering loudly.

"Are you alright Senpai?" asked Tenzo.

Kakashi looked over at his friend eating ramen and felt his face heat he up in embarrassment. The women implying that that the two of them were lovers was completely humiliating! First off he was Tenzo's captain and would never be unprofessional enough as to fraternize with one his subordinates the very idea was absurd. Secondly and more importantly he was completely dedicated to Icha Icha and no one would come between him and his beloved.

"Senpai, are you alright?" The Wood Ninja repeated himself when Kakashi did not reply.

"Yes," Kakashi replied while subtly moving a bit farther away from his fellow leaf shinobi. "Everything is fine."

Before Tenzo could continue questioning him Naruto let out a content sigh as he finished slurping down the last bit of his Ramen broth.

"Mm yummy," The small boy exclaimed.

"Are you ready to go Tenzo?" Kakashi asked seeing his opportunity to change the subject.

Tenzo nodded his consent having just finished his meal. Kakashi placed money on the counter before the pair stood up. Kakashi balanced little Naruto on his hip as he walked out of the small shop.

When he stepped out he felt a cold wind blow across his face. The temperature had dropped while they had eaten in the cozy little shop.

The Copy Ninja suddenly felt someone's killing intent coming towards and he looked around to see if he could find the threat. It was already dark outside and he could only see so far into the darkness. Preparing to uncover his Sharingan eye he saw a brown dust cloud coming from the road right in front of him.

As it came nearer he could see a green figure in the middle of the dust cloud. The killing intent was coming from the familiar green figure that was quickly nearing the Jonin.

"Kakashi," screamed the green figure. "I challenge you!"

Kakashi stood dumb struck as the self-proclaimed Konohana's Sublime Beast of Prey stopped right in front of him.

 _ **Thank you again for reading I hope you enjoyed!**_

 _ **Mo9711 thank you for the idea for using Might Guy it is absolutely brilliant! My husband thinks I have a few screws loose because every time I think about Naruto tormenting I mean meeting Guy I start smiling and giggling.**_

 _ **Oh before the yaoi fans descend upon me I will not have any pairings whatsoever. As far as I am concerned Kakashi only loves his books because I cannot have him so I will not share him!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_This one took me a few days because I just did not find the time to sit and write for more than a few minutes at a time. I hope everyone enjoys._

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 4**

Kakashi felt his eyes go wide in horror. His gaze swept across the monstrosity that stood before his eyes. The shiny black hair sculpted into a bowl cut, the pair of bushy eyebrows and the forest green long-sleeved unitard paired with orange leg warmers. There was only one person eccentric enough in Konoha to ever dress like this. Might Guy who and Kakashi's self-proclaimed eternal rival.

"Yo, Kakashi," exclaimed the green man. "Long time no see. Did you just come back from a mission? You weren't injured were you?"

The hyperactive man began to bounce around inspecting the Jonin's body. During his inspection of his rival's body he missed the small child who clung to Kakashi's arm.

Naruto carefully watched the new arrival as he hopped around. It was big, green and bounced around while speaking to fast to understand. It reminded it him of the small animal he would find outside after it rained.

"Wibbit," Naruto said, though none of the adults paid him much mind they were too focused on the new arrival.

"I am fine," Kakashi told the green man. "No injuries whatsoever."

"How about a Rock Paper Scissors?" Guy demanded to his eternal rival.

Though he would never admit it to anyone living or dead he enjoyed the various and unique challenges issued by the man. The challenge was not one that would take long and Kakashi figured he could indulge in his second favorite past time. He gently placed Naruto on the ground before turning towards his challenger and prepared for battle.

Naruto was spellbound by the green creature who looked and bounced like the Mr. Ribbit that he played with before. Though now that he stood still and made silly signs with his hands he was not that much fun to watch. He liked it when the little Mr. Ribbit would jump around so that he could follow him on new adventures.

Sometimes Mr. Ribbit would not jump and just stood there doing nothing. Naruto learned that if he gently poked it on the back it would start to jump again. Though the Big Mr. Ribbit Naruto decided would need a stronger poke to get moving since he was so big.

Naruto walked behind the Big Mr. Ribbit and then laced his hands together his pointer fingers sticking out together. He then he thrust his hands forward as hard as he could into the unsuspecting Mr. Ribbits tender backside.

Focused completely on his battle against his rival Guy was not prepared for his backside being violated by the small fingers of a determined toddler. The pain shooting from his buttocks and up his spine was unlike anything he had ever felt and he let out a shrill scream leaping high into the air before landing painfully on his side a few meters away.

The small boy was delighted by how high the Big Mr. Ribbit could jump and wanted to see if he could make him jump even higher.

"Wibbit, Wibbit!" the small boy chirped as he frog hoped towards the poor man.

Once he was beside the green man's side Naruto wanted him to jump again so he walked to the backside of the man again and thrust his fingers even harder into the Guy's poor violated backside causing him to again spring up into the air screaming in pain.

When Guy first jumped into the air Kakashi thought he had been attacked by an unknown enemy and quickly started searching for the attacker. What he saw was the small boy hoping towards Guy making ribbit sounds as he bounced. What the child did next nearly had the man in tears. Naruto performed a perfect Taijutsu the Thousand Years of Death.

Never in his life had Kakashi felt such pride in another individual. He had never seen his favorite Jutsu performed with such vigor.

Kakashi see saw the small boy jump after Guy and prepare to perform the technique a third time on the poor man's rear. He ran over snatching the boy up when he was mere centimeters from fully executing the 'deadly' Taijutsu on the prone figure on the ground. He did not want the toddler to permanently put the man out of commission.

"Kakashi," the toddler exclaimed excitedly waving his arms. "Big Mr. Wibbit jumped!"

Kakashi held the now squirming boy as he tried to get back and finish the job he had started on the unfortunate Guy.

"Again!" Naruto pouted when he realized he was not being put back down. "Wanna see Mr. Wibbit hop again!"

Kakashi looked at the unlucky man lying on the ground and then at the small child in his arms and could only come up with one question.

"Why?"

"Cause I wanna play with Mr. Wibbit," Naruto explained. "Big Wibbit, big poke, big hop!"

The Copy Ninja looked over at his green self-proclaimed eternal rival and felt sympathy for the poor defiled man lying on the ground. No man should have to experience that awful Taijutsu twice in a row and if Naruto had his way he would poke the man to death.

"No more hop hop?" Naruto queried.

"Umm, no more hop hop. Mr. Ribbit is...tired." Kakashi explained.

Naruto looked over at Guy who was still twitching on the ground unable to move.

"Tiered?" Naruto said gazing at Guy worriedly. "Mr. Wibbit go night night?"

"Yes he needs to go to sleep." Kakashi answered.

Kakashi looked around for Tenzo who had been standing a few feet away watching everything. The Jonin was surprised to see his normally apathetic subordinate bent over with tears coming from his eyes as he silently laughed.

"Tenzo," He said interrupting the other man. "Can you take Guy to the hospital?"

Tenzo nodded his consent finding it hard to speak around his continued snickers. He picked up Guy and slung him over his shoulder lack a sack of rice before taking off into the night towards Konoha's hospital.

"Bye bye Teddy!" Naruto called after the Wood Ninja when he saw him leaving.

With the pair heading towards the hospital Kakashi decided to walk back to the ANBU headquarters so that he could get some rest. It was nearly midnight and he had been up since early morning and with all the drama he felt he had been up for days.

The rain had stopped at some point and the clouds had cleared. The stars shone brightly and the full moon hung heavy illuminating the night sky. The air was still chilly and little Naruto's breath came out in white puffs as they walked down the muddy street.

As they walked Kakashi quickly noticed a crowd forming near the village's Temple of Fire. Kakashi vaguely recalled that there was supposed to be a New Year's Celebration held at the temple that night, but he did not care for such frivolities and sped up his pace so he could quickly arrive back to his living quarters.

As he walked a pretty blonde woman wearing a white qipao dress and holding a small pink hair toddler bumped into him.

"Excuse me," the blonde woman apologized. "I was not watching where I was going."

Blushing slightly in embarrassment at not being aware of his surroundings Kakashi shook his head.

"No, I should be more careful." He replied.

"I guess we both are just in a hurry!" She told him. "I was just looking for my husband. He went to go get Sakura here a treat and he likely became lost."

Kakashi nodded his head wanting to hurry up and leave before it became even more crowded. He did not want anyone to notice Naruto and have toddler even more traumatized by a possible repeat of what had happened earlier that day.

"What a cute little boy you have," The woman exclaimed peering closely at Naruto. "Well I will leave you be I bet your wife is waiting for you and your son."

"Mebuki," a man bellowed a few meters away. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

The man grabbed the pink haired girl from her mother's arms and tossed her in the air.

"Did my Sakura miss her Daddy?" The man asked the small girl who nodded her head enthusiastically. The man the produced a shiny candy apple for the girl much to her giggling delight.

The Copy Ninja took that as an opportunity to escape. He held Naruto tighter to his body before jumping to the top of a nearby building and began to jump from roof top to roof top. It would be easier to avoid the crowd by running across the rooftops then walk on the ground.

When they arrived to the roof of the ANBU headquarters there was a ringing coming from the center of Konoha. The New Year had finely come. Kakashi wondered briefly about what this year would bring into his life. The past several years had flown by in a painful daze for the Jonin, since the day the Kyuubi had attacked and took away the only two people he could call family he had felt hollow and empty. This year he thought would be different as the small boy in his arms snuggled closer for warmth.

The night air was suddenly filled with the sound of explosions as fireworks lit up the night sky.

"Kakashi, look pretty flowers!" Naruto shouted in delight as he watched the fireworks.

Kakashi looked down at the small child whose innocent face showed pure delight at something as simple as fireworks. He could not recall ever caring about such things but as he looked as the small boy for the first time he felt delight at their display.

Once the fireworks display had ended the pair went inside to the warmth of the ANBU barracks.

His room was still a mess from the disaster that had happened earlier that day and there were bags from his shopping piled up in a corner. He quickly cleared off his bed to make a safe place to place Naruto to sit while he cleaned the rest of the room.

"Stay," He commanded the toddler placing him onto the bed.

Naruto sat still and watched as the ninja made short work cleaning up the small room. Soon all that was left were the bags from Kakashi's shopping trip. He pushed clothes to the side and made room in his drawers and struggled to hang up the small shirts on his hangers.

As he was finished packing everything away he noticed an unfamiliar orange bag inside the last bag. As he peeked inside he found a letter.

 _Dear Kakashi,_

 _I was so happy when I saw you with Naruto. I have not been allowed to see him since shortly after he was born. It seems that the village Elders did not appreciate it when I tried to gain custody of my dearest friend Kushina's son after she passed away. I was told that I could not see the child without his new guardian's consent. It seems that they fear the Uchiha Clan would become too powerful if they possessed the Jinchuriki._

 _Needless to say I am delighted to see Minato's pupil taking care of his son. I am sure that both of them are happy that you are taking care of Naruto. I know Kushina was always fond of you and would call you her surrogate son and worried about you very often once you became a Jonin and Minato was no longer there to watch over you on missions._

 _I have left a gift for both you and Naruto here. Make sure that Naruto gives his a name. I hope your gift will help you out with your new charge._

 _I hope that two of you will come and visit my sons and I VERY soon. We are all looking forward to seeing you both. If you need anything please come by and see me. My doors are opened to you day or night._

 _See You Soon,_

 _Uchiha Mikoto_

Kakashi gently placed the letter on the shelf before looking inside the bag. He pulled at two books _A New Father: A Dad's Guide to the Toddler Years_ and _The New Dad's Survival Guide: Man-to-Man Advice for First-Time Fathers._ He put the two books on top of the letter before pulling out the last item. He knew immediately it was for Naruto.

He took the small item and gave it to Naruto. The small boy's face broke into a wide grin.

"Mine?" the small boy asked hopefully.

"Yes," Kakashi replied then remembered the letter. "What is its name?"

Naruto looked closely at the object in his hands thinking carefully. He closed his eyes for a few moments before he replied.

"Kurama," the small boy said in a solemn little voice.

He took the small orange fox plushy and held it close to his chest. Naruto sat on the bed and gave a huge yawn.

Seeing the yawn Kakashi realized that the small boy must be very tiered after such a long and eventful day.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" He asked the toddler.

Naruto gave another big yawn before nodding his head.

Kakashi changed Naruto into a pair of small green pajamas before putting his own pajama on. He then turned the lights off only leaving a small lamp beside the bed on.

The Copy Ninja crawled into bed and cuddled Naruto into the crook of his arm. At first he was going to grab one of his Icha Icha books for some light reading before bed but decided that he should probably study one Mikoto's books instead. He decided that it would not be very appropriate to read his favorite books around a child.

Naruto was soon sound asleep next to Kakashi his rhythmic breathing soothing to the Copy Ninja's ears. Soon Kakashi felt his eyes become heavy and he slipped off to sleep the small boy by his side and the unread book had slipped silently to the floor.

As the pair peacefully slept into the New Year an elderly man sat behind his desk a report crumpled in his fist. He looked at the crumpled paper again and felt his anger burning in the pit of his stomach. The things that report contained were beyond unacceptable.

The boy was supposed to be a hero. He had already lost his parents for the protection of the village and was given the task of containing the Kyuubi without his knowledge or consent in order to protect the village and this is how they thanked him.

Heads would roll the elderly man promised himself and things would change.

He looked out of the window and saw the sun slowly peek out over the horizon. The first rays of sunlight began to shine over Konoha of the New Year. Light would shine over the village this year and the darkness that had begun to take root would be weeded out.

 _ **I hope everyone enjoyed. I was sort of inspired by something my son did when he was about little Naruto's age. He was going through a biting stage and the person he liked to bite the most was his daddy. One day he was playing with my husband and he bit him…in the family jewels. Being the loving wife that I am I began to laugh so hard that I could not stand up to save my husband as my son clung to his jewels by his teeth. My son looks over at me while my husband is curled into a ball laughing and screams "Again!" before chomping down once more on his father's delicate bits. Once my son released his father and my husband was able to move again it turned out that denim cannot protect a man's family jewels from the sharp teeth of a toddler. He left a perfect impression of his teeth behind. Kakashi did a better job at rescuing poor Guy then I did saving my husband.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_I will apologize before you read this. No cute and cuddly story today. To be honest I had difficulty writing this because it involves child abuse. I kept any gory details out because I could not stomach them._

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 5**

The morning sun shone brightly through the window onto the two sleeping forms on the bed. The silver haired shinobi wrapped his arms protectively around the small blonde child as they slept.

The elderly man smiled to himself as he sat in a chair watching the pair together. After the long night it was good to see something good had come of the situation. Maybe after all of this time the two sleeping boys would be able to find family again.

Sadly he was an important man who had to be places and take care of the village, if it was up to him he would let them sleep and be content watching how innocent and peaceful they were together.

He quietly cleared his throat.

The white haired ninja's reacted immediately to the sound. He grabbed a kunai while sliding the still sleeping toddler protectively behind him as his head whipped around the room his Sharingan eye taking in every detail for his sharp mind to quickly analyze the situation. Just as he was preparing to release the kunai at the figure sitting in the chair he paused his eyes going round in surprise at the figure sitting in his humble room.

"Sandaime-sama!" The Jonin exclaimed. He quickly went to one knee and bowed his head in respect.

The Hokage smiled gently at the young man's quick reactions.

"No need for formalities Kakashi," The Hokage said with a chuckle. "After all I snuck in to check on you and Naruto and to tell you what is going on…off the records of course."

Kakashi stood and rearranged the still sleeping Naruto into a more comfortable position before sitting himself on the bed. He was amazed that the small child had remained asleep after the commotion that just took place.

"First, how are you handling Naruto so far?" The Hokage asked.

"I have not really done anything but bathe him, feed him and let him sleep." Kakashi replied. He did not try to think too hard or the incidents of Guy and Tenzo the night before.

"I see that you have been shopping?" the old man asked while looking at the bags in the corner with the name of the baby store on the side.

"Yes I figured that I would need clothing and such for at least a few days until the boy's situation is cleared up." Again Kakashi left out details. The letter had left many unanswered questions about the time after Minato and Kushina's deaths. What political games were being played?

The Hokage wrinkled his eyebrows in thought trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say next.

"I made a mistake," The Hokage admitted. His shoulders dropped and he bowed his head. The strongest shinobi in Konoha looked defeated and old, older then Kakashi had ever seen him.

"I thought the orphanage I put him in would care for him." The Hokage continued. "I even checked on him every single month. It all looked fine to me. He was always clean and looked healthy. He is such a sweet happy child that I did not see anything beyond him smiling at me. This is the report."

The old man passed a folder over to Kakashi and sat back as the Jonin read the report. It was horrible. The small child had lived in isolation except for when the Hokage came to see them or when one of the "caregiver" had become upset and would toss the small child outside for the night. There were also reports of physical abuse and withholding food from the toddler.

It seemed that the head of the orphanage had decided that she did not want Naruto around anymore and dropped him off in ally and left him there. That had been three days before. It seemed that the head of the orphanage had gotten drunk early the day before and had begun to rant about tossing the monster out of the orphanage and had told the mob where to find the Jinchuriki. It was shortly after that when Kakashi had rescued the toddler.

As he read the report Kakashi felt sick. He had taken countless lives and had on more than one occasion tortured both men and women for information but he had never harmed an innocent child. What kind of monster could do this to a mere baby?

"How could he survive this long?" Kakashi asked the Hokage after he finished the report. A healthy adult would easily die under these conditions.

"I am not sure yet but I think it has to do with the Kyuubi being sealed in him. Jinchuriki have extremely fast healing rates compared to normal people." The Sandaime explained. "He will need to have a physical done before we are sure."

Kakashi looked over at the sleeping toddler and noticed that the bruise that was on his face the day before was already gone. He reached his hand over and gently touched the spot where it had been.

"He had a bruise here yesterday and it is already gone." Kakashi told the Hokage.

"I see," replied the Hokage. "Do you think that he needs medical help right now?"

"I don't think so." Kakashi said unsurely.

"As of right now I do not think it is safe to take him to one of the clinics or the hospital in Konoha." The old man explained. "I have sent for Tsunade to return from the village she will perform his physical when she returns."

Kakashi nodded in response. They did not know who to trust right now and it would be best to only allow those who were loyal to the Sandaime to come into contact with the Jinchuriki at this time.

"What about those who harmed him?" Kakashi asked the Hokage. After reading the report he wanted blood and hoped that the Hokage would allow him the honor of disposing of the trash.

"The villagers who participated in harming Naruto last night are currently being questioned about their loyalties, once that is over they will be stripped of all of their rights and belongings and banished from Konoha or executed depending on what is found. The 'caregivers' from the orphanage are currently with the Torture and Interrogation Force and will all be executed." The Hokage told the young ninja.

It would have to do. Personally Kakashi would have wanted to be one of the individuals on the execution squad.

"The last thing we need to discuss," The Hokage said glancing over at the still sleeping Naruto. "I need someone trustworthy and strong enough to protect him as his new guardian."

Kakashi waited patiently for the old man to continue to inform him who would be the little boy's new guardian.

"I would like you to care for him." The Hokage informed the startled Jonin.

"Impossible," Kakashi replied. "He needs someone permanent and I cannot do that I have missions. He needs someone who will care for him and I…I…I am too damaged."

The Hokage looked sadly at the white haired shinobi's last words. He had lost his family not once but twice and he had still not recovered from the loss of Minato and Kushina. It was time for him to move forward and maybe heal some of his wounds and maybe the small sleeping toddler on the bed was what he needed.

"No," The old man said shaking his head. "You are the only one I can count on. I cannot depend on anyone else for this task."

Taking out some papers from the case sitting on the floor the Hokage handed them to Kakashi.

"These are temporary guardianship papers," he explained. "I need you to sign them or Naruto will be forced to go back to an orphanage again."

Kakashi stared at the papers. If he signed them he could protect his mentor's son but he was only eighteen years old himself and did not know how to care for a child. His looked down at the ground not wanting to meet the hopeful eyes of the Hokage. On the ground near his foot he spotted one of the fatherhood books given to him the night before. Could caring for Naruto be as easy as reading one of those books? Somehow Kakashi doubted it would be anything but hell.

He looked over at the thick file detailing all of the crimes against the small boy. The pain and the suffering Naruto had already gone through. Kakashi could not send him back.

Grabbing the papers before he could chicken out he hurriedly signed his name in all of the conveniently highlighted areas. He passed back the paper work to the Hokage his hands trembling.

He felt himself panic what would he do if he could not save the child like he failed Obito or worse caused his death like Rin? He had pushed everyone away so that it would not hurt when they died and left him alone again.

As he watched the Jonin struggle with internally with his fear he placed his hand gently on his shoulder.

"I know you do not allow others to come close to you because you fear losing them," The Sandaime told Kakashi. "But you are not alone. Minato did not die for nothing and he left someone very important behind and you now raise him for Minato and Kushina. You and Naruto are no longer alone you have each other and I know you will keep him safe."

As the old man tried to comfort the younger shinobi and was relieved when he saw the small boy on the bed begin to stir.

At first Naruto did not remember where he was. It was very warm and soft and he could feel the bright light pouring on from the window. He snuggled closer to the warmth finding it comforting. The small boy opened up one blue eye and peeked over at the two men talking. The nice man with white hair looked like he was in pain as he talked to the visitor.

He crawled out from the warm blankets and climbed into Kakashi's lap. He glanced over at Jiji and remembered what he would do for him when he would have an accident and hurt himself. He balanced his on his knees and grabbed the one-eyed shinobi's face and pulled him down and planted a wet kiss over his uncovered gray eye.

"Pain, pain fwy away." He said in a small serious voice.

The Copy Ninja felt his face heat up into a scarlet blush at the small boy's actions. When he glanced over at the smiling Sandaime he could even feel the tips turn red from the mortification he felt at being caught in such a silly act with the small boy.

Naruto finally caught a good look at the old man standing beside the Kakashi. Naruto's flew off of Kakashi's lap and landed on the Hokage burying his face into the man's stomach as he gave him a fierce hug.

"Jiji!" He mumbled into Sandaime's stomach. "I missed you!"

The Hokage patted the small boy smiling at him. After all that had happened to the small boy he was amazed that the toddler was still able to be so caring for others. Somehow the small child was not damaged by the vile creatures who had hurt him and was still innocent and had an open and loving heart.

"I missed you too Naruto," The old man told the small waif as he returned the toddler's hug. It was rare for a man of such power as the Hokage to be given hugs and he cherished moments like this.

The small boy ran to the bed and grabbed the small fox and proudly displayed it to the Hokage.

"Look Jiji," Naruto said. "This is Kurama, Kakashi give him to me."

Sandaime looked over at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow. A fox plushy was an oddly appropriate comfort to the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki but it was came a little too close to breaking the Hokage's law that no one was supposed to speak about the truth of Naruto being the Jinchuriki.

"I ran into the Uchiha matriarch when I was shopping for Naruto's clothes and she had left me a gift for Naruto. She is a very observant and astute woman and she easily deduced about who my new charge was." Kakashi explained. He hoped that the woman would not find herself in trouble over her kindness to Naruto and himself the day before.

"She would be a good ally for you," The Hokage said after a few moments of silence. "You will eventually need people on your side to help you the Naruto."

Naruto tugged lightly on the Hokage's sleeve quietly demanding the man's attention.

"We ate noodles with Teddy and I played with Mr. Wibbit and he bounced will high!" The toddler enthusiastically explained to his Jiji. "We took a bath in the big tub and Kakashi pwetty."

During most of his visits to see Naruto the small boy hardly said anything at all and Sandaime had worried a bit about his speech development. For the small child to say so much at once had amazed him but it showed how much of a difference the small boy being Kakashi's care made for Naruto. In less than a day the boy was already showing changes. He knew without a doubt Kakashi was the ideal guardian for Naruto.

Kakashi still sitting on the bed felt his face heat up again when the small boy had called him pretty for the second time. It always embarrassed him when people looked at his face. When he was still young his father would always tell him he looked like his mother.

"It sounds like you have had a lot of fun." The Hokage said.

Naruto nodded his small head his unruly blonde hair flying in every direction as he did.

"Do you like being with Kakashi?" Questioned the elderly man.

"Kakashi nice," Naruto declared.

"Would you like to live him from now on?" The Hokage asked as he carefully watched for the small boy's reaction.

Naruto's eyes went wide in surprise. He really like Kakashi who was very kind to him. Kakashi was even nicer then Jiji was and he had never had so much fun as he had the day before. He was given yummy things by Teddy and then more yummy noodles by Kakashi. Most of all he had spent the night wrapped snuggly in Kakashi's arms.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "I stay with Kakashi! Promise?"

The little boy was bouncing on his small feet in excitement. He gave the Hokage another hug in his happiness of being told about his new guardian.

"Yes I promise," The Hokage told the happy toddler.

Naruto looked over at Kakashi shyly. His big blue eyes watching Kakashi single gray eye carefully.

"I stay?" He asked. "I stay with Kakashi?"

Kakashi stood up from the bed and walked closer to the toddler before he knelt in front of Naruto and turned him around so that he was now eye level to the small boy. He placed one hand gently on Naruto's head rubbing it affectionately.

"Yes you will stay with me for now." He informed the toddler. "I will be taking care of you."

Naruto hugged the Jonin fiercely. As he snuggled closer to Kakashi the small boy's belly gave a loud growl.

"Well it seems some little boy is ready for his breakfast," The Hokage said chuckling. "Good thing I came prepared for hungry little boys."

The Sandaime picked up two containers of food that had been sitting near the chair he had recently vacated and handed one to each boys. He came knowing that he would have a lengthy talk with Kakashi and that the Jonin would have an even longer day after he left and it would be hard on the pair to miss breakfast.

"Thank you Sandaime-Sama," Kakashi said when he was handed the meals. He had not quite thought ahead enough for things like meals for the small boy. Food was typically a necessity to keep his body running and more often than not he lived off of field rations.

Kakashi cleared off the area at his desk, he quickly put important scrolls and paper work out of the reach of the toddler. He placed the small boy's food on the clean desk and settled the small boy so he could comfortably eat. He put his own food down and would eat it later after he finished talking to the Hokage.

As soon as he was seated Naruto clapped his hands like Kakashi had shown him the day before and quickly started to devour his food.

The Hokage had sat back into the only chair in the room and waited for Kakashi to sit down before he continued with their conversation.

"You will need to find another place," He informed Kakashi. "This place is barely suitable for a single adult much less a child. I have prepared a list of suitable places for both of you if you want to look over them."

The Hokage reached for another folder that he had brought with him before handing it to the young man.

Kakashi took the folder and flipped through the pages for a few minutes. The places were ok but he saw many flaws in them, mostly concerning security and privacy. He thought a while about what would be a suitable place to raise Naruto and keep him safe and then recalled that he did own a house. Well it was more of a compound then a house. As the only surviving member of the Hatake Clan he was the sole owner to the Hatake estate. The estate was on the outer reaches of Konoha and was designed by one of his more paranoid family members so it was very secure. It was a bit run down but with a little bit of work it should be livable.

The Jonin handed the file.

"I think that I should check out my family home." He told the Hokage. "It may need a little work but it will be more secure than any of these."

The Hokage nodded smiling. He knew that the young Jonin had not returned often to his childhood home over the years since his father's death. It would be good for Kakashi to move on from his past's ghost.

"If it is ok I could assign a few D-Rank missions to assist you in any clean up or repair," The Hokage suggested.

"That could be a big help," Kakashi replied. "Do you think that I could have a team over later this afternoon? I would like to get moving over as soon as possible."

"I should be able to do something about that," The Hokage told the Jonin. "I would also suggest that you have someone you trust move into the compound with you so that you have extra security. I will look around and see if I can find someone to watch Naruto while you are working. This time I will be more careful and will make sure they do not carry ant unwarranted grudges."

Kakashi had a few ideas for both new issues. He knew once he left Tenzo would be alone and he did not want the former Root member to be left alone in the ANBU by himself, as it was Tenzo did not really socialize with anyone but Kakashi and with Kakashi not here he would have even less human contact. As far as finding Naruto a babysitter he thought that Mikoto may be able to help him out. She seemed genuinely fond of Naruto and like she wanted to help him.

"Those things should not be too hard to accomplish." Kakashi said after a few moments.

The Hokage stood. It was getting late into the morning and he still had so much to do. His work was never done.

"That should be good enough for now," said the Sandaime. "I will file the guardianship paper work for you. You will also be on paid leave until you have everything settled with Naruto so do not worry about hurrying things along. Just make sure it is all taken care of properly."

During the talk Naruto had finished his meal and had begun to play with Kurama. He was happily singing a song to the fox plushy as he waited for the adults to finish. When Sandaime had patted the small boy on the shoulder he had looked up and smiled happily at the Hokage.

"Are you having fun?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes, I teach little Kurama to sing!" The small boy told the elderly man happily.

"Oh what song did you teach him? Can you sing it for me?" He enquired.

Naruto nodded his head happily.

"One, sleep better than humans says Shukaku. Two, burning in fire, Matatabi. Three, leave the water to Isobu. Four, hot lava, Son Goku. Five, always on the run, Kokuo. Six, relaxed and never in a hurry, Saiken. Seven, the flying leaf insect, Chomei. Eight, "Yeah" is all it needs, Gyuki. Nine, "Ko-kon" cries the mighty Kurama. All the Tailed Beast have finally come together. They're a little hard, but they are nice name. They're all splendid names. They're all wonderful names." The small boy sang his song happily to his Jiji.

The Hokage smiled at the small boy's song. He had never heard it before and wondered who had taught it to him.

"What about number ten?" He asked the toddler.

"No ten," Naruto replied firmly with a small frown. "Ten bad, bad, bad."

Knowing that small children did not always work with logic and not wanting to upset the small boy arguing that the number ten was not bad the Hokage just gave the small boy a smile before patting him on the head.

"Good bye Naruto," He told the small boy. "I will see you again soon. Be good for Kakashi."

"I will!" Naruto happily told hi Jiji.

"If you need anything just ask." The Hokage said turning towards Kakashi. "I will do everything I can to help you both."

"Thank you Sandaime-Sama" Kakashi replied with a deep bow towards the older man.

With that the Hokage left to return to his never ending pile of paper work leaving the child with his new guardian.

After their early morning visitor left Kakashi begun to write a list of things he needed to do. First he needed to go and check out the condition of the Hatake compound and see how bad the condition was. Then he would need to go to the Uchiha compound and talk to Mikoto and see if she knew anyone who could watch Naruto. He would talk to Tenzo later about moving out of the ANBU barracks, if left alone that man would never communicate with anyone but his own plants.

He quickly got himself dressed and then dressed Naruto making sure that the small boy's hat would not slip as he ran across the rooftops. Before leaving the small boy insisted that Kurama had to go with him.

Kakashi recalled the counting song the small boy had sang and that he briefly thought how the boy had named his fox for the name corresponding with the number nine. The Jonin stopped as he was about to open the door. Naruto had named his fox after nine that could not have been a coincidence. He put his thought process to the side for a bit. Later he would have to question the small boy on who had taught the boy the song. For now he had too much on his plate to worry about a child's song.

 _ **Thanks again for anyone who has read my little story so far.**_

 _ **A few questions were asked:**_

 _ **The fox stuffed toy was given to Naruto by Mikoto.**_

 _ **I never even thought of the frogs Naruto played with could have any connection to Jiraiya's Toad summons. I wish I was that cleaver but they were just plain frogs not super cool toads.**_

 _ **I am not telling. Though there is no time travel or past life memories though they could make a very interesting story by themselves.**_

 _ **I plan to add a new chapter at least once a week depending on what I have time for. Thanks again.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry I am late with the story I was lost on the path of life..._

 _By the way I have no proofreader or Beta right now. So I apologies for any mistakes._

 _I do not own Naruto and will not make any money off of this._

 _I hope you enjoy~_

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 6**

The Hatake clan had never been a very large clan and without a Kekkei Genkai like the Uchiha's Sharingan or the Hyuga's Byakugan they had never really grown very large or held great prestige in the village. The small clan compound was located beyond the outskirts of Konoha in small enclave of trees besides the outer walls. The buildings were obviously in disrepair and in need of maintenance, the largest building with its red roof had vines growing on the side and a tree had fallen over during one of the many seasonal storms and was leaning heavily against the sagging roof.

It had been many years since the only living Hatake had stepped foot inside his family home. When he was still a small boy he could recall the few remaining members of the Hatake clan gathering together, the compound had been so alive back then. Konoha's White Fang had been the pride of the clan and during his reign as clan head they had prospered briefly. Now all that was left of the clan was a few decrepit buildings and a single ninja.

Kakashi Hatake slowly walked through the broken gates of the compound and looked around the near ruins of his childhood home. It was worse than he had imagined it would be. He briefly considered some of places from the file that the Hokage had given him earlier that day but quickly dismissed them, most would not be secure enough for him to protect the small boy sleeping in the onbuhimo strapped to his back and the other ones were just not places a child should be raised. Recalling his own childhood he knew children need places to run and have fun.

He walked around the compound and did his best to make notes of what repairs were needed and where debris that needed to be cleared were located. As he walked around he could feel the ghost of his past cling to him. He walked past a moss covered bench and recalled how was of his favorite aunt had sat there doing her knitting, he would often lay with his head on her lap and she would spin tales about the great ninjas from their clan. She had died during a mission during the Third Shinobi War, like most of the clan had.

He saved going into the main house for last. He passed through the front door quietly and walked purposefully down the corridor. As he stepped into the main hall he could himself flinch involuntarily. He recalled seeing his father's body collapsed in a crimson pool of blood in the center of this room. He shook his head trying to dispel the nightmares of his childhood as he stared around the room.

The abrupt movement caused the small boy strapped snuggly to his back to begin to wake up.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was dark and it smelt musty from years of neglect. The toddler reached a small hand gently ran his hands through the gravity defying white hair of the man carrying him. He let out a giggle when Kakashi jumped.

"Did you sleep well?" Kakashi asked the small boy turning his head so he could see Naruto.

Naruto nodded his head smiling at his new guardian. The small boy glanced around the room drinking in the new sites. He gazed in fascination at the different dogs that had been carved into the walls.

Kakashi smiled when he saw where the small boy was looking. He walked over to the carvings and pointed to the first one.

"Asena," He told the boy. "She protects our clan's children. This one is Ooguchi who leads us to safety when the clan is in danger. This is Inugami who hunts down our enemies and is responsible for doing evil things for the clan's prosperity. The last one is named Hachiko he is our faithful companion who teaches us perseverance and loyalty."

Kakashi explained to the toddler. When he was a small boy his father had told him about the clan's guardian spirits. It had never occurred to the Copy Ninja that he would ever tell a child his clan's stories.

The small boy gazed at the four carvings with his small face scrunched up in concentration.

"Asena, Ooguchi, Inugami and Hachiko," The small boy said careful to pronounce each name.

"Very good!" Kakashi praised the blonde toddler.

Naruto beamed at the ninja's praise. He was happy that he had done something good.

Kakashi looked around the room again and for some reason he did not feel the overwhelming dread that he had when he first walked in. The atmosphere seemed lighter and the darkness was no longer calling out to him with painful memories.

"Down?" Naruto asked Kakashi startling him out of his thoughts.

The Jonin glanced around the room wondering if it was safe to allow the toddler to run lose. Before he could make a decision on what to do he heard a hesitant knock coming from the main door.

"Maybe later," he told the toddler. He reached behind his head and gently patted the toddler's head.

He quickly walked down the foyer. When he opened the door was greeted to the sight of two Genin teams and an awkward Tenzo standing behind them. Kakashi was surprised to recognize the two Jonin-sensei Nara Shikaku and Inuzuka Tsume. Nara Shikaku had worked closely with Minato during his short time as Hokage and no man would ever forget an encounter the fiery tempered Inuzuka clan head. He could feel his skin itch in all of the places the woman had groped during the last Jonin meeting he had attended and she had drank a little too much.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted the group of ninja. He purposefully relaxed his muscles into a lazy slouch.

Tsume flashed a pair of sharp canines and gave the Copy Ninja a slow lecherous look. Kakashi felt grateful that his mask, would not give away his embarrassment from his heated cheeks.

"The Hokage said you had a few D-ranks for us," Shikaku said. He was not a genius for nothing and even an idiot would be able to tell the tension between the two Jonin. He had also not forgotten how Tsume had crawled all over Kakashi, after all he was the one who had instigated the incident.

"Yes," replied Kakashi handing over the list he had made earlier while walking around. "I will start cleaning in the main house and you can split the rest among yourselves."

Shikaku read over the list and quickly planned on how to get things done in the most efficient way possible by the Genin without him having to lift a finger. There was only one puzzling issue.

"What about the kid? Do you plan to keep him strapped to your back while you work?" The genius asked. He had already been briefed on the situation by the Hokage that morning. He could not help but feel disgusted by the entire thing, what type of monster could hurt such a small child.

Kakashi thought about it a few moments before relying.

"I think I will have to, as of right now it is not really safe to let him run around."

"Why not let one of my Genin watch him for the day?" Shikaku offered.

Kakashi narrowed his eye in suspicion. Less than twenty-four hours ago Naruto had been attacked by villagers and Kakashi was leery on allowing the small boy out of his sight with someone who could possibly harm him.

Expecting Kakashi to be cautious of people around his new ward Shikaku knew which one of his Genin would do well in watching the small Jinchuriki.

"This is Umino Iruka," He informed Kakashi while waving the Genin forward. "He watches Shikamaru for me when my wife is busy."

Iruka gave a deep bow to the white haired Jonin.

"Pleased to meet you," Iruka said his voice cracking as he spoke. He was not sure how to react to meeting such a famous ninja. He had grown up hearing tales of the great Copy Ninja.

Kakashi heard one of his teammates let out a snicker and he glanced at the white haired Genin and gave him a one eyed glared causing the Genin to choke on air. He felt vaguely satisfied from his small act of intimidation.

"If the inner gardens are not too badly in need of repair they can stay there," Kakashi assented after some thought.

The inner gardens were part of the main house and he could easily be there within seconds if anything went wrong. He would place several listening seals in the garden just to make sure he would hear if anything went wrong.

Kakashi signaled for the Genin and Tenzo to follow him. He would leave it to the two Jonin to figure out who did what and the quicker he escaped from Tsume the better. She had been eyeing him the entire time and he could see her unrestrained hunger in her eyes. As he walked away he could feel the woman's hungry eyes follow him and picked up his pace until he safely turned the corner out of her view.

It did not take the small group long to reach the inner gardens and it seemed to mostly be untouched by the decay that the rest of the house showed. There were a few broken tree limbs and it would need some TLC come spring to return it to its former beauty but it would suffice for a temporary play area for Naruto.

Kakashi walked around the garden discreetly adding listening seals here and there, he also added barriers on each entrance and exit point that would alert him of anyone passing them.

"If anything happens come and find me immediately," Kakashi informed the boy giving him a stern look.

"Yes, sir!" Iruka said standing strait.

Kakashi placed Naruto on the ground next to Iruka before kneeling down so he could so the small boy could easily see him.

"I need to work for a while so Iruka here will watch you for me." He explained to the toddler.

Naruto frowned slightly at Kakashi trying to understand what was going on.

"Kakashi come back?"

"Yes I will be back. I will not be far just inside the house cleaning up." He verified.

"Kakashi clean, I play with Ruka, Kakashi finish and come back." The small boy summarized. "Can Teddy play?"

Smirking at the Wood Ninja's nickname Kakashi shook his head.

"Teddy is going to help me clean that way I can finish sooner." Kakashi explained to the small boy.

He had already talked to his friend that morning about moving out of the ANBU headquarters and into the Hatake compound with him. The Wood Ninja had been a bit hesitant at first but when he explained about it being for Naruto Tenzo had agreed. It seemed the small boy was worming his way into the normally stoic ninja's wooden heart. Kakashi had left out that he was worried if Tenzo lived alone he would further isolate himself from others. He did not want his teammate to be alone.

Naruto frowned a bit after hearing that Teddy could not play with him. He really loved his Teddy and wanted to play with him all of the time.

The small boy suddenly launched himself at the unsuspecting Wood Ninja hugging his legs fiercely.

"I wuv you Teddy so hurry up so we can play." Naruto told Tenzo while clinging to him.

Tenzo tentatively returned the boy's hug his arms stiffly wrapping around Naruto's back while he performed the unfamiliar motion.

"I will come…play later." Tenzo promised the toddler with a bit of hesitation. He had never really played before. His earliest memories consisted of being a test subject in Orochimaru's lab, once he had joined Root there was no time for games.

Knowing that they would come back for him Naruto was content to go with Iruka.

Tenzo and Kakashi left the pair behind in the garden they quickly discussed what they needed to do to make the place livable. As he walked into the house he glanced back to see that Iruka was holding Naruto's hand pointing to something while Naruto smiled at the older boy.

Iruka quickly held out a hand to the small boy when the two Jonin took their leave.

"Hello I am Iruka. What is your name?" Iruka asked the small boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The small boy proclaimed proudly while grabbing the older boy's hand.

Iruka found himself trying not to smile. The small boy was cute. Knowing from experience from caring for his Jonin-Sensei's son and the other children of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio that it was not wise to allow children to become bored he quickly looked around to find something that would interest the small boy.

"Look," He said pointing to a nearby tree covered in ice sickles. The limbs drooped with the weight of the sparkling ice. "Isn't it pretty?"

Naruto looked at the older boy and smiled at his new friend. Here was another nice person.

"Pwetty," Naruto agreed.

Iruka gently tugged the small boy's hand and walked around pointing towards different things that he could find in the garden explaining to the toddler what they were. Naruto soaked everything up that he was told, pleased with the attention he was receiving.

After they had finished exploring the garden Kakashi decided to do something a little bit more productive with the toddler. Like many children with ninja parents Iruka had known things like the hand seals before entering school because games played with his parents and other children. One of his favorites was Ninjutsu Sequence, The first player called out an academy level Ninjutsu and performed the first hand seal the next person performed the second seal, if you did it incorrect you are out. The last person would choose the next Ninjutsu.

"Naruto do you want to play a game?" The Genin asked the blonde toddler.

Naruto nodded his rapidly in excitement. He had never been allowed to play games with other children but games had always looked fun when he saw other children playing together.

"We are going to play Ninjutsu okay?" Iruka said.

The toddler smiled in reply.

"I will start. Henge no Jutsu," He said weaving his hands dog sign.

Naruto tried to mimic the older boy's hand movement and not succeeding very well.

"Do you know how to do the hand signs?" Iruka asked Naruto.

Naruto knitted his small eyebrows in confusion.

"Is it yummy?" The small boy asked. It had been a while since breakfast and he was getting a bit hungry.

It had not occurred to Iruka that child with a guardian like the Copy Ninja who was prodigy that graduated from the Academy when he was only five years old would not know Ninjutsu hand signs. Most children in ninja families started learning hand signs before they could walk.

"No, you can't eat it," Iruka replied with a smile. "They are what ninja use to perform Ninjutsu."

Naruto knew what a ninja was Jiji had told him not too long ago about how ninja protected the village and were nice and helped people.

"You ninja?" The small boy probed his little face thoughtful.

"Yes," Iruka replied proudly. It had only been a short time ago that he had graduated from the academy and it always filled him with pride that he could now call himself a ninja.

"Teddy ninja too?" Naruto asked after some thought.

Recalling the brown haired man from earlier that the small boy had hugged Iruka knew without a doubt that he was a ninja just by watching him. His movements had a readiness about them that signaled he could jump into action at any moment. Iruka had seen many older ninja like that, he often felt clumsy near them like he would trip over his own feet.

Iruka noticed that Naruto was frowning a bit and had his eyes closed. He seemed to be deep in thought his lips moving silently as if he was talking to himself. Suddenly his eyes flew open and he had a large grin on his face.

"Kakashi is a ninja!" The boy declared triumphantly. "He's greatest ninja ever, he saved me from bad people."

Smiling at the small boy's pride in his guardian Iruka rubbed Naruto's spikey blonde head with affection.

"Yes he is. Do you know what people call him?" Iruka questioned the toddler.

Naruto shook his head his blue eyes wide in excitement.

Iruka waited a few moments before answering, building anticipation and excitement in the younger boy.

"The Copy Ninja, they say that he has copied over a thousand techniques."

The small boy clapped his hands in excitement.

"Kakashi is a-a-a-," The small boy closed his eyes briefly and seemed to have another silent conversation with himself. "Amazing!"

"Iruka teach me hand signs?" Naruto asked shyly glancing up at Iruka looking like a begging puppy.

Even if he had not already planned to show the small boy the hand signs Iruka would have caved in to the small boy's request in an instant after looking into toddler's begging eyes. Naruto was irresistibly cute to anyone who spent any time with him.

He led the small boy to a nearby bench and the pair sat down together. Iruka slowly demonstrated each hand sign to the toddler and gently corrected his hands as Naruto learned each new sign. Iruka found himself enjoying teaching Naruto, it was exciting showing the child something and seeing him eagerly learn.

Absorbed in what they were doing Iruka lost track of time and did not pay attention to what was going on around him. When he heard someone unexpectedly clear there throat he jumped his hand snaking towards a kunai located on his belt.

When he whipped his head around to see a dark haired boy a few years younger than himself holding the hand of a toddler with equally dark hair he quickly released his kunai.

The dark haired boy's eyes flashed red three black tomoe floating in the iris. He pushed the small toddler behind him when he noticed Iruka's hand go for a weapon.

Iruka gave the other boy a bashful smile.

"Sorry," He apologized embarrassed by his actions. "You surprised me. I guess I overreacted a bit."

"I did meant to startle you," The black haired boy replied his Sharingan still activated his face expressionless. "I was sent by Kakashi to tell you to come inside."

Iruka smiled at the other boy. Now that he thought about it he was extremely cold from being outside for so long and he was sure that Naruto must be cold too. He picked Naruto up balancing on his hip

"Iruka," said the Genin extending his free hand towards the other boy. "Nice to meet you."

"Uchiha Itachi," The dark haired boy replied firmly shaking Iruka's hands.

What happened next would haunt the two boy's nightmares for a long time.

Naruto who had been distracted by staring at the smaller dark haired boy did not really notice Itachi at first. When he felt Iruka shift him over so that he could shake Itachi's hand Naruto caught a glimpse of the three tomoes floating in a pool of crimson.

 _Sharingan_ , the word floated in the back of his mind. It was a word that meant pain, fear and suffering. He had seen it many times in his dreams and each time it made him hurt and cry out into the night. He had to escape and get away from the Sharingan or it would hurt him.

 _Run escape do not let the Sharingan come closer or it will hurt you._

Even when the villagers had attacked him he had not felt so much fear.

Then the small boy remembered who had saved him.

"KAKASHI!" Naruto screamed.

It did not take long for Kakashi and Tenzo to start to clearing out the inside of the house. They easily split up the work with Tenzo heading to the kitchen and using his Wood Jutsu to do needed repairs while Kakashi started cleaning up several of the bedrooms. Kakashi noted that Tenzo seemed very pleased with using his Kekkei Genkai for something as mundane as carpentry. It reminded him how embarrassed the younger man had been when he had accidently dropped a book on Architecture during their last mission together.

Kakashi made short work on clearing out three rooms for them to sleep in. He had been a bit hesitant on deciding what rooms to use. In the end he decided to give Naruto the room he had used as a child after some consideration.

The room was not the largest but its biggest appeal was the glass doors that opened up to the inner garden. Kakashi could recall the delight he experienced as a child when he would wake up and see the garden. He had spent a good part of his years before entering the Academy watching birds, insects and other small wildlife scurrying about the garden from his room.

He took the room next to Naruto's. It would be best to be near the Jinchuriki so he could protect him. The room that he chose for Tenzo was located on the opposite side of the garden, it was still close enough that Kakashi could easily alert the younger man of an attack but far enough away to give him his privacy.

The one room that Kakashi avoided was his father's. Shortly after his father's death one of Kakashi's relatives had helped clean it out and had placed all of his belongings into storage, afterwards Kakashi locked the door and had not opened it since.

After he finished cleaning out the last room he grabbed several bags of trash and headed to the front door. When he opened the door he was surprised to see Uchiha Mikoto with a surprised look standing in front of the door her arm raised in preparation to knock. Behind her stood her sons and a cart covered in a tarp with several men in attendants.

The Uchiha matriarch smiled at Kakashi quickly recovering from her surprise at the very man she was here to see appearing in the doorway.

"I see the rumors are true," She said stepping around Kakashi and into the house. "I heard that Naruto was made your official ward by the Hokage. So this morning I dropped in for a little chat with him and he said you were moving into the Hatake compound."

She walked around inspecting everything with the eyes of a housewife with a bad case of OCD. Kakashi did his best not to flinch every time the woman spotted a speck of dust. Itachi silently followed his mother while carrying his small brother on his hip.

"Of course I had to come by and see if you needed help." She informed the Jonin. "Men always forget the important things so I decided to bring a few things by to help you get started. If I recall this place has not been lived in for at least eight years."

"I am so glad I thought ahead. This place is completely bare. It could work for two single ANBU but it is not proper for a child." She told Kakashi tersely.

He found himself nodding as Mikoto inspected his home. He did not recall letting her in or allowing her to have her way but he found himself obediently taking her orders. He soon found himself carrying furniture and luggage along with the men outside and Tenzo who she had rounded up at some point.

Kakashi found himself blushing at his previously unknown sins against humanity. He had not felt this small since the time the Minato had commented on his lack of team work when he was a kid. He hung his and tried not to look at Mikoto

Suddenly Mikoto stopped and glanced over at Kakashi.

"I am so glad that Naruto has you now," She informed the Jonin. "I was so upset when I found out what had been happening and I am angry at myself for not trying harder for him."

When Kakashi finally glanced over at her to his horror he saw wet tears glistening on her cheeks. He felt panic rise up in his chest. There was nothing worse than seeing a girl cry and he had always felt helpless and his stomach would become a tangle of knots any time Rin had cried.

When Obito had asked Minato what to do he would give a nervous chuckle while rubbing his neck and tell them just try not to make her cry in the first place. It was one of the few times his sensei had been just as clueless as his students.

His mind racing with ways to get out of his current situation or at least a way just not to make it worse Kakashi quickly made a plan. Being honest with himself having a crying woman was scarier than any S-Class mission he had ever been on.

"Itachi," he said recalling the boy's name. "Can you do me a favor? Go to the garden and have Naruto and the Genin watching him come in."

Itachi quickly grasped the situation and grabbed Sasuke's hand and quietly led his brother to the direction that the Jonin had indicated. He made sure to take his time on the way in order for his mother to have time to recover herself.

As soon as the boys left Kakashi took the Uchiha matriarch to different room so that she could recover without prying eyes.

It did not take long for Mikoto to stop her silent tears.

"Sorry about that," she said looking a bit bashful. "I guess everything really just hit me."

"It's fine," Kakashi told her hoping he did not set off another bout of tears.

"I read the report," She informed him. "I read it and I even looked at the pictures of his room. I had no idea what was going on! Kushina was my best friend and I let her little boy go through that. She would have never let some petty bureaucrats get in her way if I was gone."

"At least you tried, I have never even asked about him." He admitted to her hanging his head down in shame. "I could have checked on him anytime but I could have protected him if I had only tried. When I found him yesterday it was just by luck. I didn't even know who he was at first, he looks so much like Minato it is uncanny. If I had not been on patrol yesterday I would have never known."

Mikoto looked at the young man standing in front of her and understood that they now shared a bond of guilt over the small blonde toddler. In the years to come they would make a fearsome pair of protectors over the small boy that no one in Konoha would dare anger.

Finally calmed down looked at Kakashi giving him a reserved grin and chuckling to herself.

"I came in here like a mother-in-law inspecting her first born son's new wife." She said her cheeks slightly pink.

Kakashi gave her one of his squinty eye smiles.

"It has been a learning experience." He informed her.

It seemed that everything was all right for the time being. Kakashi was not going to ask where the furniture and everything else Mikoto had come from out of fear that it would set the woman off again. He was just glad that it had not escalated into more water works.

He pair went back into the great room and Kakashi again let Mikoto take the lead. It seemed the Uchiha matriarch knew what she was doing.

As he was helping Tenzo move a table into the small kitchen area he felt uneasy and before he could do anything he heard an ear splitting scream from the garden.

"KAKASHI!"

 _ **I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. I have enjoyed writing it.**_

 _ **I had a lot of questions about the Tailed Beast Song. The reason The Hokage and Kakashi did not notice what it was about was simply that adults do not always listen to what kids say. As a parent I know I have done it from time to time my son will tell something and I will let it go in one ear and out the other.**_

 _ **Everyone seemed to enjoy the chapter with the story about my husband and son so here is another one.**_

 _ **My husband was having a boy's day with my son who was two at the time and a friend and the three of them had gone out hiking if I recall. Well it was a really long trip the park and my husband had come prepared with sippy cups and plenty of fluids to drink and snacks to eat.**_

 _ **It was about a three hour drive to get to where they were going and my son had been pretty content in the back seat eating and drinking his snacks. At the time he had a habit of stripping his clothes off so he had disrobed himself at some point.**_

 _ **They were nearly to the park when my husband's friend looks in the back seat and notices some "ice".**_

" _ **I think you kid spilt his snow cone." The friend tells my husband picking up some "ice" to show my husband.**_

 _ **My husband looks at his friend in horror when he sees what he is holding.**_

" _ **That's not a snow cone his diaper exploded!" My husband informed his now horrified friend who holding pee soaked diaper filling.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello again I hope everyone has enjoyed my little story so far. Here is the newest chapter!_

 _Ps. I do not own Naruto or make money off of him._

 **Warmth**

 **Chapter 7**

When he heard his name cried out Kakashi did not think about what to do he just reacted. His battle hardened body tearing through the hallway as he ran towards the inner garden. He could feel panic trying claw its way into his mind a various scenarios danced across his mind each one worse than the last.

As he burst through the doors into the garden he took note of Iruka and Itachi's panicked faces before he leaped over Itachi and snatched Naruto out of Iruka's arms. He landed a few meters away from the two boys.

Not sensing anyone else near Kakashi glared with his single uncovered eye at the two boys. He realized that the Uchiha boy had his Sharingan activated and quickly used his hand that was not holding Naruto to form seals for binding. He bound both boys just to be sure.

He silently stalked towards both boys his body radiating anger and barely suppressed violence.

Kakashi and Iruka could hardly breathe as the killing content crashed over them from the approaching Jonin. The feeling of utter helplessness and despair they both felt and would fuel in the pair's nightmares for months to come.

"What happened?" Kakashi growled out.

Iruka having been in charge of Naruto shook in fear. He recalled another name that people had called Kakashi, a name no one was stupid enough to say to his face. Kakashi Friend-Killer.

"I-I-I don't know," He told the fearsome Jonin truthfully. "He just started screaming your name."

Kakashi turned his eye towards Itachi. For his Itachi managed to keep his face blank and calm but on the inside he was trembling in fear.

"When he saw my Sharingan he started screaming." Itachi explained. It took all of his will not to scream himself. One of the deadliest ninja that Konoha had ever produced had him bound and was leaking killing content so strong it made him sick. He may be a genius and had already on the fast track to Jonin but he still only a child. Lucky for him Sasuke had fallen asleep out of boredom and was managing to stat asleep through the commotion

"Why was your Sharingan activated in the first place?" The Copy Nina probed.

The Uchiha heir's facial features did not change but Kakashi could see the tip of his ears turn pink.

"I startled Iruka when I came into the garden. When he grabbed a kunai to protect the kid from what thought of as a threat I reacted and I activated my Sharingan." Itachi replied in a detached voice he used for giving mission reports. It was embarrassing for an Uchiha to activate his Sharingan on accident.

"Release your Sharingan. You have no reason to have it activated here." Kakashi ordered his voice harsh and grating to the Uchiha's ears.

It took a moment for Itachi to make his Sharingan deactivate. His fear causing it to be difficult to force his eyes to do what he wanted them to do.

Kakashi scrutinized both boys looking for any signs that either one had lied. He could see embarrassment and overwhelming fear but not a hint of either boy lying. He silently released the two boys from his Ninjutsu and turned his attention to Naruto.

The small boy desperately clung to Kakashi his head buried into his shoulder his small body wracked him heart breaking sobs. The ninja could feel the boy's body shaking in fear. The day before when he rescued the small boy he had not reacted so harshly from the mob that had attacked him.

"Naruto," he said his voice softening as he tried to calm the small boy. "Naruto it is going to be alright. Why don't you look at me?"

Naruto's sobs subsided slightly as he carefully peered up at Kakashi. His eyes were wide in fear and blood shot from his tears.

"Bad eyes all gone?" The small boy asked his voice distraught and full of fear.

"What are the bad eyes?" Kakashi asked hoping that he would be able to understand what had spooked the child so badly.

"Sharingan," The small boy said no sign of his usual childish lisp a word that unless he was a Uchiha she should not know at his age. "Bad man has Sharingan and he hurts everything."

Naruto gave a small whimper after his declaration.

"Where did you see this person?" Kakashi asked trying to control his panic had one of the Uchiha attacked the small boy inspiring more fear then a mob of people trying to hurt him.

Naruto squinted his small eyes in and seemed to be talking to himself trying to figure out how to reply.

"When I sleep," He told Kakashi. "Bad man hurts Kurama and makes him do things. I see bad man hurting everything when I sleep."

Kakashi's mind was racing at what the small boy had told him. He started adding things up, Naruto called his fox plushy Kurama and in the song he had song for the Hokage that morning Kurama was number nine. He also had dreams about this Kurama and someone with a Sharingan.

"Kyuubi," The word slips out of the Jonin's mouth in a whisper.

"But the seal!" A soft feminine voice whispered from the doorway.

Kakashi whipped around and glared at Mikoto, if she continued she would accidently break the Hokage's Law.

"Enough," he told her.

Understanding his warning she gave a brief nod of her head.

Kakashi pulled out a scroll and a pin from his flack vest and began to write on it. He quickly performed a standard seal to protect the contents and signaled for Iruka to come close.

"You are to take this to the Hokage right now." He ordered the Genin. "When you get to his office tell them that it from me and that the Hokage sees it immediately. You are only to deliver it to the Hokage if anyone attempts to intervene inform them that you are on a S-Class mission assigned to you by me and only the Hokage can read the contents. Under no circumstances are you to mention Naruto to anyone or anything about the conversation you just heard."

Kakashi glanced over at Itachi.

"Everything you have both just heard is an S-Class secret and carries the death penalty to even speak about it. You are not to tell anyone about it or even discuss it with each other, family members or instructors. If questioned by anyone but myself or the Hokage you are to deny ever hearing anything on the penalty of death." When Kakashi finished informing the two boys of the secret they now carried bath of their mouths hung slightly open.

"Iruka wait for the Hokage's reply before returning," Kakashi told the Genin before signaling for him to move out.

After Iruka left on his first S-Class mission he turned his attention to the three Uchiha's who remained. Mikoto now stood beside her two sons, Itachi now stood rigid as if convey his understanding of how serious things had become and little Sasuke remained sleeping in his brother's arms.

"Why don't you go and help Tenzo out. Tell him everything will is fine here and I will talk to him later about what happened." Kakashi said though he was looking at the boy's mother silently asking for her agreement.

Mikoto made a shooing motion with her hand signaling for Itachi to go.

As soon as the pair were out of sight Kakashi walked towards Naruto's room. It would be a bit more private for the discussion he was about to have with Naruto.

When he opened the door Kakashi noticed that the room had drastically changed since that morning. There was a child sized bed facing the window with a matching dresser and table and chairs, the bare floor was now covered with a fluffy white area rug. Someone had added some shelves that were covered in children's books. On one of the shelves was a picture of Kushina wearing a green dress and smiling happily at the camera.

Kakashi gave Mikoto a sharp look when he noticed the picture. It was dangerously close to revealing Naruto's parentage.

It did not go unnoticed by Mikoto what had upset Kakashi and she boldly returned his with a defiant one of her own. She had already backed out of Naruto's life once and she would be damned if she did not make up for lost time.

"He carries the Uzumaki name. It would not take a prodigy like yourself to figure out that he was the child of the last known Uzumaki." Minato informed him haughtily.

Showing wisdom far beyond his young age Kakashi decided that this battle was not one he wanted to fight. After all what could one little picture hurt?

Kakashi pried the small boy off of his body before gently placed Naruto on the bed and sat in one of the child sized chairs that were at the small round table.

"Naruto who is Kurama?" He asked. There was no point in beating around the bush it was vital that he confirmed if the Kyuubi was in contact with the toddler and how far his influence went.

Even though Naruto had just been bawling his eye out in hysterics just a few moments before at the mention of Kurama by Kakashi the small boy broke into a wide and happy smile.

"He is my partner," Naruto said proudly. "He is fox like little Kurama but bigger and he has more tails. He is the Kyuubi the most powerful smart and handsome Biju of them all. Everyone should fear him because he can go ROAR!"

Naruto giggled thinking about Kurama.

"He talks to you?"

"Kurama talks to me ALL the time," The toddler informed the two adults much to their horror. "He says I need c-c-communication or I would be stupid and he does not want to be stuck with an idiot."

"When did he start talking to you?" Kakashi asked almost afraid to find out.

Naruto tilted his head in puzzlement.

"When?" He replied sounding confused. "Kurama is always with me and he talks all of the time. Sometimes I can see him too though he is in the yuck water."

Kakashi was alarmed to find out that the small boy had been hearing the voice of the Kyuubi and it was even more terrifying that the small boy had seen the fox.

"Does he tell you to do things?" Kakashi was terrified to found out what kind of horrible things the Kyuubi tried to do through the boy.

Naruto bounced excitedly not realizing that the two adults sitting before him were scared out of their wits over the Kyuubi escaping.

"Oh he tells me to do all kinds of stuff!" Naruto happily chirped. "Brush my teeth, take naps, talk slowly, eat all my food, wash behind my ears, don't eat stuff strangers give 'case it will hurt my tummy. He is always telling what to do."

The two adults looked at each other feeling dazed. The Kyuubi was telling the child how to take care of himself.

"Where is the Kyuubi?" Kakashi asked wondering how much the boy knew.

Naruto's placed his small hand on his stomach where Minato had placed the seal binding the Kyuubi the day Naruto was born.

"I can feel him here but sometimes I see him in the water place and he talks to me." The small boy told Kakashi.

"Does he try to get you to let him out?" Kakashi asked after a few moments. The Kyuubi had to tricking the small boy in order to escape.

"Mmmm out?" The boy asked puzzled.

"Does he want out of his prison?" Kakashi tried to clarify for the toddler.

"Prison for bad people?" Naruto asked his small face showing his puzzlement.

"Yes, it is a place for bad people who do bad things. The Kyuubi is in a prison inside of you." Kakashi informed the small boy.

Naruto's eyes went wide in horror.

"Kurama good foxy!" The blonde toddler declared. "He is nice! He talks to me and sings to me and teaches me colors and numbers. He always calls me good boy when people are meany to me. He is my friend!"

By the end of his declaration Naruto was in tears. He remembered one of the _caregivers_ from the orphanage telling him they should put him in prison and let him rot in there until he died, she had elaborated to the small boy how scary the place was. Someone as nice to Kurama should not be in prison.

Kakashi felt awkward not knowing how to tell the boy that the Kyuubi was an evil creature hell bent on destroying everything. He had a feeling that if he tried to turn the boy against the fox that he would lose all of the trust the boy had given him. He would have to be careful with what he told the small boy who had already been abused by humans, it would not be hard to imagine Naruto siding with the only person who continuously showed him kindness.

"Let Kurama out of prison. He good good foxy." The small boy pleaded to Kakashi.

Kakashi did not know how to reply to the boy. If he told the boy no he would resent him and cling even more to the Kyuubi and it's influence. On the other hand he could not promise to let the Kyuubi lose not only would it destroy Konoha but more importantly Naruto as it's Jinchuriki would die.

"Naruto," Said the Mikoto who until now had remained a silent spectator. "Kurama is not _really_ in prison. When you were a baby he was placed in you so that you would both learn to be friends. He cannot leave you or bad people will try to hunt him down and hurt him. You are protecting him from everyone else."

Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement his tears all forgotten. He was protecting Kurama.

Kakashi stared at Mikoto amazed. She had not lied to Naruto if the Kyuubi escaped people would hunt it down so in a way Naruto was protecting the Biju and knowing hoe Minato-Sensei thought he would have liked for his son to make friends with the Kyuubi. Heck he would not put it past his sensei to of had visions of the pair frolicking in flowery fields and sharing bowls of ramen together when he sealed the fox into his son.

"By the way Naruto I am your Aunt Miko." Mikoto informed the toddler giving him a warm smile. "I am so glad to meet you. I have been waiting a long time."

Naruto looked at the woman his mouth slightly open. He knew the meaning aunt, it was like the words uncle, brother, cousin, mom and father, they are all word meaning family. Kurama had told him about it before.

"Weally?" The small boy lisped in excitement. He had never had family before just Kurama.

"Really," Mikoto replied with a smile.

The pair were content to stare at one another reaffirming that the other was real in their minds. The third person in the room knew they had other things that needed to be taken care of.

"Excuse me," Kakashi said pulling them both out of their thoughts. "We have one last thing to discuss."

Mikoto stared at Kakashi worried, it was well known that many people in the village suspected that the Uchiha had been responsible for the Kyuubi escaping. What would she do if one of her clansmen had been responsible for the Kyuubi escaping and killing so many of the villagers and ninjas in Konoha? Even worse if they were trying to let the Kyuubi escape again. Konoha would not survive it, they had still not recovered from the last attack.

"Naruto," Kakashi said his voice gentile as he could make it. "What do you know about the Sharingan?"

"Mmm it is bad and it hurts," Naruto explained. "It is scary. I don't wanna talk 'bout it."

The small boy hung his head and avoided eye contact with the two adults, not wanting to talk about the Sharingan.

"Naruto we need you tell us about it so that we can help." Kakashi tried to appeal to the small boy.

Naruto in a sudden bout of stubbornness shook his blonde head refusing to speak.

Kakashi and Mikoto looked at one another silently trying to figure out what they should do. The small boy contained information that was vitally important for the safety of Konoha. If someone had released the Kyuubi over two years ago and was trying to do it they needed to know.

While the two adults were silently trying to figure out the best way to extract the information Naruto the small boy was having a silent conversation of his own.

 _Naruto was in the icky water place that Kurama lived in. The small boy looked at Kurama laying behind the bars the kept him confined. Naruto had a nagging feeling that this was a prison but recalled that Mikoto said that he was Mikoto informing him that he was here to protect Kurama from bad people._

" _Kurama!" The boy exclaimed running towards the nine tailed fox. He easily slipped his small body between the bars and throwing himself onto Kurama's snout giving him a hug. It never occurred to the small boy to fear the wickedly sharp canine that peeked out of the fox's mouth._

" _Naruto, I need you to sleep," The fox told the child his voice a deep rumble. "I will take care of the two idiots pestering you."_

 _Naruto nodded happily before crawling into Kurama's outstretched hand. Kurama gingerly cupped his hand his sharp claws carefully placed away from the small body. The small child obediently curled up and went to sleep._

As Kakashi silently debated on the best way to get the small boy to talk he felt a sickening chill pass through his body. He glanced at the toddler sitting on the bed and felt himself take an involuntary step back. Naruto's sky blue eyes had been replaced with a pair of hateful red eyes the bore into Kakashi's hatefully.

" _ **Why are you talking about that bastard to the brat?"**_ The Kyuubi growled through Naruto's mouth.

Mikoto recovered faster than Kakashi did on seeing the Kyuubi possess the blonde toddler.

"We need to find out if someone is trying to hurt Naruto." Mikoto replied not mentioning the fact that they were concerned with the Kyuubi breaking free and the fact that it could take over Naruto's body was highly alarming.

" _ **The brat only sees what I have seen, it is of no concern to you.**_ " The Kyuubi said his deep voice

Kakashi watched the Kyuubi possess Naruto's body in horror, if the Kyuubi could slide into the boy's body like a well fitted glove any time he wished the village was in grave danger. The Hokage and Jiraiya-Sannin had both closely looked over the small boy's seal the day he was born and both been confident that it would last long into adulthood as long as it was not tampered with. Had someone tampered with it?

"How have you escaped the seal?" Kakashi demanded.

The Kyuubi threw back Naruto's head and gave a deep gravely laugh that sent shivers up Kakashi and Mikoto's spines.

" _ **He let me through**_." The Kyuubi replied twisting Naruto's face into mocking grin.

The Kyuubi watched the two adults in the room cautiously. It would not do to alienate the brat from his new care givers but the boy was going hysterical over the Sharingan and it likely had to do with the brat viewing his own memories during while he dreamed. The Kyuubi also recognized Kakashi from the time he was imprisoned in Kushina and knew he had a Sharingan. The Kyuubi eyed the Copy Ninja recalling the last one-eyed Sharingan user he had encountered but the Sharingan was in his left eye.

" _ **My time is short**_ ," The Kyuubi informed them. " _ **I have been watching over the devil woman's spawn since I was trapped in him. Humans do not seen to take care of their offspring and this one was left to rot by you filthy creatures. I have undertaken educating him so that he does not die and take me with him before I can escape."**_

The Kyuubi glared at the two humans in the room. It left no doubt he did not care for humans.

" _ **The brat will sometimes see things I have seen in his dreams. The Sharingan is my enemy and he has seen it. He fears it greatly. I will teach him not fear it but for now keep it away from him**_." The Kyuubi told the pair. " _ **I will show him not to fear things he can destroy."**_

Kakashi's mouth hung open in his shocked stupor. He must be misunderstanding something because it sounded like the Kyuubi was trying to be helpful.

" _ **I will need to sleep for a time so you must protect the brat**_ ," The Kyuubi told Kakashi staring at him from Naruto's small face. " _ **I will not be doing this again it takes up too much Chakra. Do not allow my vessel to be harmed or I will eat you. The brat will sleep for now**_."

With that Naruto's small body seemed to crumble onto the bed. Kakashi rushed to the toddler checking his vital signs to make sure he was ok. After a few moments he realized that the blonde toddler was only in a deep sleep.

"That was unexpected," Mikoto said staring at the sleeping child.

Kakashi gazed at Naruto's sleeping form. The monster that had murdered the child's parents seemed to be caring for the small child in its own way. The question is what did the Kyuubi get out of it? There was no way that the Biju would do anything out of the kindness of it nonexistent heart.

"Yes it was," Kakashi replied glancing at her. "I am sure that you understand that everything that you have heard today is not to get out, even to your spouse."

Mikoto glared at Kakashi offended by his assumption that he had to warn her like Iruka and Itachi.

"You may be too young to remember but I was a Jonin long before I was married with a highly distinguished career. I know how to keep my mouth shut and not spread village secrets like blathering idiot." Mikoto informed Kakashi snidely. It rankled her that she had been pressured to retire in her prime after she became pregnant with Itachi by the clan elders.

Kakashi raised his only visible eyebrow at her declaration. It was best not to anger the woman farther, nothing ever good came out of upsetting women.

Mikoto walked towards the bed containing the now sleeping Naruto and gently moved him under the covers and tucked the toddler in. She made sure to give Kakashi a glare and the Jonin heard her mutter something about stupid males.

"I have sent for Jiraiya," Kakashi told the woman. "When he arrives I shall have him look over the seal."

Mikoto pursed her lips together a frown forming on her forehead as she gently stroked the blonde's forehead. The child had lost his parents, been abused by the adults entrusted to care for him and now he had a demon in his head. It seemed life was setting the small waif up to be doomed with unfairness.

She glanced at the young Jonin hovering over her shoulder his eye glued to sleeping toddler. Maybe Naruto would have fighting chance with such a fearsome guardian watching his every step.

"That could take some time. Jiraiya has not been in Konoha in years." Mikoto said thoughtfully.

"The Hokage is well aware of his whereabouts and it will not take him long to locate him," Kakashi replied. It was not well known that the Hokage and Jiraiya were in constant communication with one another. Jiraiya kept the Hokage well informed of goings on of the countries outside of their own. The Toad Sage was doing more than just researching for his books. Kakashi was one of a handful including the Hokage who knew this.

Giving Naruto one last pat on his blonde head Mikoto stood up and straitened her clothing.

"Regardless when that old pervert gets here we still have things to do," Mikoto said briskly walking to the door. "After all this place still needs to be livable."

Kakashi watched as the Uchiha matriarch walked through his childhood home shooting off orders to the men who had come with her sending them running off to do her bidding.

When they reached the living room the two Uchiha brothers were waiting along with Iruka who had returned from his mission to the Hokage holding a sealed scroll in his hands. As soon as Iruka noticed the two adults enter the room he quickly walked to Kakashi handing him the scroll.

The Copy Ninja took the scroll from the Genin his eye flashing over the page before he lit it on fire. The Hokage had sent for Jiraiya and he was to wait for the Toad Sage.

For now he would wait and make his home habitable for Naruto.

"Itachi," Mikoto said, "Take Sasuke to Naruto's room and have lunch there. Wait quietly there until Naruto wakes up and make sure he eats. You are not to activate your Sharingan around him for any reason."

The Uchiha heir nodded his head in consent while his mother took out four bento from one the boxes and handed him three. She then turned to Iruka holding out the fourth bento.

"Go with them and keep them all out of trouble," She ordered. "After all you are the oldest one."

Iruka took the bento from Mikoto blushing slightly. It was not often the orphan received homemade meals.

After the children had headed to Naruto's room Mikoto became a demon slave driver pushing all of her slaves—workers into overdrive to finish cleaning and repairing the house.

When Naruto opened his eyes he saw the boy named Iruka leaning against the bed that he was sleeping in. He reached out and gently touched the brown hair sticking out of his pony tail causing the Genin to turn around.

"Morning sleepy head," The preteen said smiling at Naruto. "Are you hungry? Uchiha-sama left a bento for you to eat."

Naruto stretched his tiny arms over his head smiling at Iruka.

"Yummy?" The toddler questioned him.

Iruka smiled at the small boy handing him the bento Mikoto had sent for the toddler.

"Yes, it was very yummy. Uchiha-sama is a very good cook." Iruka said while he helped the small boy open the lid.

Naruto quickly started eating his meal making pleased noises as he ate.

Across the room a pair of black predatory eyes watched the blonde as he ate his food they were locked on the two red balls of heavenly goodness.

At some point Itachi had fallen asleep in a chair beside the bed after eating with his little brother snuggly wrapped in his arms. Sasuke like most children was never content to just sit still for long so when he noticed Naruto eating his lunch he slipped off of his sleeping brother's lap and tottered across the floor. When he reached the bed crawled inside and wiggled his way towards the other toddler.

"Eat!" Sasuke chirped at Naruto pointing towards one of the tomatoes.

Naruto looked at Sasuke noticing him for the first time. The blonde tilted his head to the side puzzled.

"Eat!" Sasuke said more insistent this time pointing at the tomato again. This time he opened his mouth wide waiting for a bite.

Understanding now what the other child wanted Naruto gingerly grabbed one of his tomatoes before placing it inside Sasuke's waiting mouth.

"Mmm yummy," The little Uchiha exclaimed delightedly before opening his mouth again.

Naruto giggled at Sasuke's reaction and happily placed the tomato into his waiting mouth. Sasuke happily ate the tomato savoring its heavenly goodness.

He opened up his mouth for another bite but there was not one, He looked at Naruto's bento and realized that it was out of tomatoes.

"All gone," Sasuke said with a pout and a yawn.

"All gone," Naruto agreed looking at his now empty bento before handing it to Iruka.

Sasuke gave a large yawn stretching his arms over his head before laying his head down on Naruto's pillow.

"Sleepy," Sasuke said before closing his eyes and drifting off.

Naruto who was still not recovered from the Kyuubi using his body gave a small yawn before laying down beside the other toddler. He closed his eyes and was quickly fast asleep.

Iruka covered both toddlers up happy that there was not another incident. He laid his head on the bed watching the two toddlers sleep and before long he had fallen asleep himself.

Sometime later Mikoto quietly opened the door to check how things were going. Much to her delight she found the four of them fast asleep. Naruto and Sasuke were curled up together on the bed while Iruka rested his head gently beside the toddlers and at some point in time Itachi had moved to the floor curled up like a cat in front of the bed.

Mikoto quietly removed the camera she carried with her and took a couple of dozen pictures of the sleeping boys. It would work wonders for blackmail on the four for years to come.

 _Before people roll their eyes at me allowing Naruto and Kurama to be able to communicate when Naruto is so young I promise I do have a logical (at least to me) reason._

 _First when children are born they need to make an attachment in like the first 12-18 months (It has been a while since I took my Psychology classes) in order to be able to form bonds with other people as they grow older, failure to do so causes them to develop Attachment Disorders and a bunch of other issues. Back in the 80's and early 90's when many American families had adopted children from Russia they quickly came to realize that there was something different about many of the children and later found out it was caused by them not having enough interaction with someone to form a bond during the first year of life. During that time newborns in Russian orphanages only had interaction during feeding and changing and were left on their own most of the time. Attachment disorders can lead to anything from a highly withdrawn child who lacks good communication to a kid slaughtering the family pets. I am only roughly summing it up but I am sure everyone can get the idea that in order for Naruto to be able to create bonds he needs one from a very early age._

 _So where am I going with this? Naruto needed someone to bond with and the most convenient person was the Kurama. Kurama for his part was a combination of bored and did not like the idea of being stuck with someone who could not talk so he started talking to Naruto and one thing led to another._

 _Secondly because Kurama talks to Naruto so much and does not want to listen to baby talk he makes sure he can talk clearly and corrects him often._

 _Now Naruto may still seemed advanced in his speech for a 2 ½ year old but it also depends on the child. One of my nephews talked freakishly clearly by age two and has great problem solving skills, he talks better than many 5 or 6 years old. My poor sister is constantly at wits end over the clever things he can come up with to do. He also growls in his sleep and I am convinced he may be the antichrist and will one day rule the world! He is so freaking cute people would follow him just for that!_

 _Well I hope everyone enjoyed!_


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